The 2025 pre-school kitchen of the year uses Grönska's growing cabinet.

Quality instead of quantity

Winning the Preschool Kitchen of the Year 2022, 2024, 2025 and the Climate Kitchen of the Year 2025 by SoM is not a coincidence. It is the result of a consistent approach, a strong professional pride and a clear ambition to never let conditions outweigh quality.

For Anna-Karin, a cook at Almarevägen preschool, the kitchen is not just a service function. It is a craft and a puzzle. And that puzzle must be put within a budget of 20 kronor per student and staff for breakfast, lunch and snacks – something that seems to her to be more than enough.

Many people assume that quality requires large resources. But Anna-Karin doesn't think like others. By working in a structured way with reduced food waste and a clear green focus, she managed to free up just enough space in her budget and invest in raw material quality and development in the form of a grow cabinet.

Anna-Karin Ris, Elected Chef of the year 2023,2024, 2025

“We previously had four smaller hydroponic farms that we placed in different departments along with our outdoor farm. Investing in a larger cabinet seemed like a no-brainer. I simply asked my boss if I could use the surplus in the budget to buy a cabinet, and I was allowed to!” says Anna-Karin about her decision to invest in a grow cabinet.

The difference was immediately noticeable in the taste.

I bought basil and spices before, but this one is much better. It tastes much better because it is freshly picked and unsprayed.

For Anna-Karin, it is of course about working sustainably, but also about delivering good food and inspiring the students. Anna-Karin works concretely and extensively with food education to the extent possible in the form of a “vegetable of the month” and “mini chefs” who harvest and cook with her a few times a week.

The educational aspect is something Anna-Karin values highly and places great focus on . “The biggest thing, however, is the educational aspect with the cabinet. The children stand and scribble on it all the time. I don’t wipe the glass anymore because I like to see the children’s nose prints. That’s the best part of it all.”

That says something about how she sees her mission. The kitchen is part of the children's everyday life, not a separate production unit. By working with the vegetable of the month and letting the children follow how the food grows, a natural connection is created between raw materials and plate.

For a chef who is passionate about her profession, it is hard to imagine anything more meaningful than being able to spark an interest in food in this way. At the same time, she is clear that everyday life in a preschool is demanding, time is limited and staff are few. That is precisely why the simplicity of the growing cabinet is crucial.

"That's what makes the cabinet so worthwhile. It takes no time at all and anyone can operate it. It doesn't matter if I'm there or not."

Anna-Karin doesn't see her grow cabinet as a project to manage. It's a tool to deliver better nutrition year-round.

New Installed Grönska ONE-cabinet - Almarevägens Pre-school, Stockholm.

Explore our Grönska ONE cabinet here