Recipes And Memories From The Coocoo’s Nest

“There was a cult for breakfast burritos,” says Íris Ann Sigurðardóttir as I point out the famous recipe in the newly printed The Coocoo’s Nest cookbook. Lucas Keller, her husband, smiles in agreement. “There was a period where our boys would gauge how much they cared about something in relation to breakfast burritos. ‘Do you love it more than breakfast burrito? Do you love me more than a breakfast burrito?’”

When we speak, it’s a few days before the book’s launch party. But the story of this Californian-Icelandic couple began in Florence. It was far from the usual Italian romance — they met as students in a dingy, pissy alleyway at dawn. Years later, they would combine their dreams of owning a restaurant and a gallery into The Coocoo’s Nest. It was a beloved eatery located in Grandi that hosted monthly exhibitions, blending their shared passions of food and art under a single roof.

After 10 years of operation — and two sons — they closed The Coocoo’s Nest in January 2023. The decision deprived many a brunch-loving Reykvíkingur of their go-to spot, but the essence of The Coocoo’s Nest has been captured for posterity in the new cookbook, with recipes by Lucas and photography by Íris.

“It was what it was — and now we have it all encapsulated in the physical document.”

“It was a bit of a bittersweet decision to close, but 10 years is a long time,” says Íris. “We wanted to continue growing and be inspired to do new ideas. We had regulars that came many times a week — sometimes twice a day. It was really hard to do too many changes because our regulars wanted certain plates and certain things.”

After selling the restaurant, the couple took a break from the responsibilities of owning a business. Íris went back to university to study psychology, while Lucas stayed in the kitchen, hosting pop-ups around town, including an extended weekend brunch pop-up at Hnoss in Harpa. “There will be some other pop-ups popping up soon,” he smiles.

Bringing vision to reality

The idea of a cookbook had been around for years, but the all-consuming task of running a restaurant — and the creators’ lingering self-doubts — delayed its realisation. Lucas and Íris agree that the book is long overdue. “Lucas has very high standards for himself,” Íris says. “He felt he wasn’t allowed to publish a cookbook until at least owning a restaurant for five years.”

It wasn’t until after the restaurant’s closure that the couple found time and space to finally bring the idea to life. To work on the book’s look, they brought on board André Visage, a graphic designer known for his work on Omnom chocolate. “Working with André was great,” says Íris. “He was able to control the project and make it happen with us.”

With André’s help, the project came together in about two years. The result is a beautiful 330-page hardcover book that serves as both a culinary guide and a personal memoir. Its bright blue cover is inspired by the garage doors of Verbúðirnar (the old fishing huts where The Coocoo’s Nest was located), and features a debossed restaurant logo and spine lettering. Inside, readers will find stories, recipes, and photos, all starting with a foreword by none other than renowned artist Ragnar Kjartansson. “He was a regular,” Íris remarks as I skim through the text.

The cookbook takes readers on a journey through time, beginning with the restaurant’s origins and the relationships forged with local producers. It then unfolds into chapters reflecting the diverse menus that defined The Coocoo’s Nest — everything from sourdough and brunch to tacos, pizza, pasta, soups, main courses, desserts, cocktails, and more. Most recipes are accompanied by a story loosely related to the dish.

The book contains pictures from the very beginnings of The Coocoo’s Nest, “like a family photo album,” as Lucas says. This period was formative for the family — The Coocoo’s Nest opened on the couple’s first wedding anniversary and their oldest son’s six-month birthday.

Emotional kitchen

I wonder out loud if the book is intended for the restaurant’s regulars, beginner cooks, or those who already know their way around the kitchen. “It’s kind of for The Coocoo’s people,” says Lucas. “The people that are already familiar with [the restaurant] and we know care. Hopefully it can be interesting for people that know how to cook, and inspire some ideas and creativity. I’ve also tried to explain the recipes to somebody that doesn’t particularly know how to cook, so, hopefully, it covers the bases. It’s a good mix — a coffee table book with beautiful photography, a storybook, and an informational guide.”

After talking with some Icelandic publishers, the couple opted to self-publish — mostly due to constraints in quality, price, and schedule. One of the potential publishing houses could only do the project next year, and wanted the book to be translated into Icelandic. “We didn’t want to wait any longer,” says Íris. “Lucas is telling the stories in a personal way that would be hard to translate, and we felt that our clientele are the type of people that buy the majority of their cookbooks in English anyway.”

“It was a very emotional kitchen. We had very, very few written recipes.”

Self-publishing is more risky and expensive, but it allowed the couple to retain full creative control. They hadn’t seen a physical copy of the book before the copies arrived from Latvia. “Both of us have artistic backgrounds,” says Íris. “So it was fun to be really hands-on.”

The recipes in the book come straight from the restaurant, with slight changes to make them work for home cooks. “We never kept any of the recipes a secret,” says Íris. “If anybody asked, we always gave them out.”

“It was a very emotional kitchen,” says Lucas. “A part of the difficulty with the book was the fact that we had very, very few written recipes.” Íris chimes in: “That’s why it’s fascinating there’s a book at all — a lot of the time it was all just in Lucas’ head.”

While meat and fish recipes are included, Lucas stresses that the restaurant’s vegan and vegetarian clientele significantly influenced the menu, and that he always tried to work with local ingredients. One of the later chapters provides tips on techniques such as pickling, fermenting, and dehydrating — some of The Coocoo’s Nest’s staples. “We didn’t necessarily think an ingredient would be for one dish or another,” he says. “We would just make them, and then have all these different flavours we could use on the fly.”

Next chapter

Lucas and Íris miss the people rather than the daily buzz of running the restaurant, and they are excited to embark on new projects. “I’m excited to close the chapter and move into the future a little bit more freely, to do things maybe a little bit differently than what was expected from The Coocoo’s Nest,” says Lucas. “Whatever I or we do in the future may be reminiscent of it, but I want people not to expect another Coocoo’s. It was what it was — and now we have it all encapsulated in the physical document.”

He says one shouldn’t expect a new restaurant immediately, but doesn’t deny it will eventually happen. “Time away from having The Coocoo’s Nest has proven to me that I enjoy that world. And I like creating a space for people and different experiences. I’m ready to be ready,” he says with a smile.

Íris giggles, adding: “I know he’s going to do it sooner or later. I’m gonna get more involved than I want to be. And I’m gonna love-hate it.”

The Coocoo’s Nest book is available at Salka, Forlagið, Penninn Eymundsson and ilnido.is