Darlene Fossum-Martin, of Decorah, Iowa, is a third-generation Norwegian, who grew up on a small farm near Spring Grove, Minnesota, the first Norwegian settlement in the state. She is both a woodworker and Norwegian food specialist. She has always had a passion for the folk arts and the way her Norwegian forefathers expressed themselves through their work with their hands and hearts. She says her cooking style is shaped by the Norwegian foodways of her ancestors. Her strengths in Norwegian cooking come from the women in her family, as well as the years she spent living in Norway.

Darlene has taught traditional Scandinavian immigrant food classes for adults and children of all ages throughout the Midwest, Colorado, and at John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina. Darlene says, “What better way to keep traditions alive for future generations than sharing these time-honored recipes of our immigrant forefathers?”

Learn more: In the article, Det Sitter i Veggene, from Vesterheim, Vol. 6, No.1, 2008 – Thought for Food, Darlene expands on Norwegian culinary traditions. And watch this video, Collection Connections: Dairy Production & Cooking Utensils, where Darlene highlights objects in the Vesterheim collection that tell a story about Norway’s unique food traditions.