On Monday night, the ultimate reward came in the form of the three Michelin stars, who send chef René Redzepi and his team all the way to the top of world gastronomy.
Only about 130 restaurants worldwide have three Michelin stars. Including Danish Geranium. And even though Noma has been voted the best restaurant in the world four times and has long had two stars, the three mean a lot to Redzepi.
– I am so surprised and feel something I have never felt before, he said at the presentation of this year’s Nordic Michelin stars in Norway.
A total of 27 Danish restaurants received a total of 38 Michelin stars.
Included in the field is the largest of Danish michelin restaurants, Kong Hans Kælder in Copenhagen. It got the very first Danish Michelin star back in 1983. It took a whole 38 years before the classic gourmet place on Monday scored number two star.
The new ones in the Danish michelin class are Lyst in Vejle, Syttende in Sønderborg, Substans in Aarhus and The Samuel in Hellerup.
Three restaurants, which are closed during the corona, lost their star status.
Food editor at Berlingske Søren Frank is positively surprised.
“I did not expect so many new stars because it has been difficult for Michelin inspectors to visit the restaurants because of the corona,” he says.
That Noma in Copenhagen went from two to three stars is completely deserved, he believes.
– I do not see any restaurant that deserves it more. It is in many ways the most influential restaurant in the world.
According to Søren Frank, the fact that new restaurants in Sønderborg and Vejle received stars testifies that Michelin’s guide has begun to look seriously at restaurants outside the capital.
Although he believes that a couple of Danish restaurants were undeservedly overlooked, he assesses overall that Denmark’s star harvest on Monday night exceeded all expectations.
In addition to the happy star recipients, there is general joy that new lights are now being lit in the sky over a Danish restaurant industry after a hard year and a half of corona.
– Food-interested people make pilgrimages from all over the world to eat here, and this benefits the entire experience industry’s value chain, says the industry organization Horesta’s food manager, Tine Skriver, in a press release.
She believes that the Michelin award will have a positive effect on tourism in Denmark.
– Denmark has a position in the gastronomic super league, which has now been strengthened. We have restaurants that are mentioned in the press all over the globe, and where people are on the waiting list for months, says Tine Skriver.
The tourist organization VisitDenmark also believes that the stars give publicity and attract more tourists to Denmark.
– In recent years, top-class meals have helped to shape Denmark’s image abroad, and the stars are essential for tourists’ perception of Denmark, says VisitDenmark’s communications manager, Anders Rosbo, in a press release.
Source: The Nordic Page
