This week on In The Weeds Podcast, Spike sits down with Gísli Grímsson — chef, storyteller, and sustainable saltmaker from the wild Westfjords of Iceland. From a childhood spent on remote puffin islands to hand-harvesting geothermal sea salt, Gísli’s journey is one part island resilience, one part culinary innovation, and entirely fascinating.

They dive deep into Icelandic traditions — puffin hunting with lacrosse-like sticks, fermented fries in Copenhagen, and how geothermal power fuels both homes and Saltverk’s evaporation tanks. Gísli explains how Iceland’s untouched nature and ancient energy sources shape the cleanest, most sustainable sea salt on earth — salt so pure, it’s found on plates at NOMA  and the best home kitchens from Reykjavík to D.C.

Spike and Gísli swap stories from back-of-house chaos to volcanic landscapes, talk about how kitchens have changed from “violent” to “visionary,” and laugh through tales of lava salts and late-night Icelandic hot dogs. It’s a masterclass in craftsmanship, sustainability, and staying salty — in all the right ways.

On This Episode, You Will Hear:

-Puffin hunting traditions and generational Icelandic food culture

-The birth of Saltverk: using geothermal energy to make pure, sustainable sea salt

-How Iceland’s natural energy sources drive food innovation

-Saltverk Salt and why purity matters

-How the culinary world shifted from “rage kitchens” to “mentorship kitchens”

-Working with top restaurants like NOMA

-Using flavored salts like birch-smoked and Arctic thyme in cooking

-How Icelandic food culture blends nature, preservation, and creativity

Listen & Connect With Us Here: https://linktr.ee/intheweeds.pod 

🎙️🎙️ In The Weeds Podcast is proudly sponsored by: 

Events DC is the official convention and sports authority for the District and a key player in making some of DC’s most exciting events and experiences happen. From world-class sports to cultural festivals and everything in between, they help power the energy of the city. Visit eventsdc.com to see what they are cooking up!

DC Central Kitchen is an iconic nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. The organization provides hands-on culinary job training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed. To learn more, please visit dccentralkitchen.org