BENDIX LAURSEN

“The dream,” he says thoughtfully, weighing his words as carefully as he would the ingredients that go into his dishes, “would probably be to eventually get my own little place, with a nice vegetable garden and an abundance of fresh herbs.” And it seems a humble dream for a humble, young man who, whether he realizes it or not, is well on his way towards the upper echelon of young chefs in Copenhagen.

Bendix Laursen, An unsung hero

At first glance, the 30-year-old rising star who until recently played the role of head chef of Restaurant Radio in Copenhagen, Bendix Laursen, seems like the sort of person who prefers to do his talking through his food. Soft-spoken and thoughtful, he seems nearly overwhelmed by the attention given to his culinary creations by casual diners and media alike. Give him time, however, and the quiet, unsung hero that is Bendix Laursen will slowly unfold into a classic chef’s tale of hard work, dedication, attention to detail and classic depths of flavors with a strong Nordic twist.

Earning his interest for cooking at a very early age from his mother who herself is a trained chef, Bendix remembers spending many hours of his young life in the kitchen of their family home. Staring over his mother’s shoulder. Sharing this love for home cooking, quality ingredients, good food and passion for flavor with the woman who brought him into the world, quickly sparked something deep within the young boy. He started cooking for his family at the age of 9 or 10, he remembers, and earned his first job in the business at the age of 14 - doing dishes and helping out in the kitchen of a local restaurant - before entering formal culinary training at the age of 17 in 2008. His training, coming of age and subsequent string of jobs led the young, quiet chef from Northern Denmark first across the country then all the way over New Zealand to Switzerland before eventually settling on Copenhagen as his new home. A journey that no doubt helped shape him into the humble yet confident and award-winning chef that he is today.

Read also: Restaurant Radio - New Nordic meets Classic French at this Copenhagen Hidden Gem Restaurant

Prior to taking over the reins at Restaurant Radio, the young chef was broken in by a three-season run at Ruth’s Hotel, an iconic tourist hotel in Northern Denmark, before a short stint at Bistro Boheme in central Copenhagen and most notably a tenure at iconic Søllerød Kro - a culinary institution that has helped shape many of the greats in the business. His culinary upbringing, or “whipping to remove the farmer boy in him” as he jokingly describes it, has helped him achieve not only a sound understanding of classic and modern techniques, but also an appreciation of the quality of local, seasonal ingredients and that inherent playfulness and curiosity that is pivotal to success as a modern chef.

It is as if every fiber of his culinary upbringing as well as the playfulness of his character now seems mirrored and deeply rooted in his innovative, beautiful and deliberately underplayed dishes. In everything he does, the focus of this rising star is on quality of ingredients, depths of flavors through complexity of preparation, timing, patience and a near compulsive approach to plating. Chef Bendix’s intricate, beautiful and flavorful dishes now stand as a testament to the fact that a true affordable gourmet experience can be enjoyed in the center of Copenhagen for a fraction of the price, you thought possible… How is this possible? Well, ironically, the culinary juxtaposition of fresh, affordable gourmet food all stems from a personal challenge issued from the young chef – to none other than himself:

“I grew tired of just standing at the stove, doing the same thing every day,” he explains on the topic of his taking on the job as head chef at Radio which forced him and his team to come up with an entirely new menu every month: “I wanted to do something that would have me keep thinking, inventing, moving with the seasons and never going back. I would have about a week’s worth of time to bring in a new menu before I would have to start thinking of next month’s dishes. If I need to be ready at the level where I want to be, then that is how quickly I have to move and that really is a great source of inspiration and motivation to keep improving”

And the challenge of a constant changing no re-use menu has worked for the young chef. The ever-changing menu with emphasis on regionality and seasonality, forced him to use what is most flavorful here and now, and to save whatever bits and pieces that are left over for future menus through pickling, fermentation or some other ancient method of preservation. It has, in a sense, created a modern Nordic approach to cooking that he blends with his upbringing in classic, French gastronomy to add some depth and flavor to a style that has been described by many with words ranging from “subtle and fresh” to “bland.”

– “I like the New Nordic style, don’t get me wrong,” Bendix muses a little more diplomatically than most, “but it’s all a little too intricate and subtle for my liking. I grew up with French cooking and I knew I wanted more depth of flavor, so I added some classic French elements to my style. It is, after all, how I was raised, “finishes the young chef who also embraces Asian methods of preparation and various other flavors and cooking techniques in his largely local but undogmatic cooking… “It just makes things a little more interesting!”

… As a matter of fact, interesting is perhaps the one word that most accurately describes the experience of eating at his table. Not in a negative laden way, but in the very best sense of the word. The cooking style of Chef Bendix is profoundly interesting. For the diner, it is an absolute win/win situation when New Nordic finesse meets French depth of flavor, influences from around the world and youthful playfulness at Chef Bendix’s cuisine, and it’s a force with which to be reckoned. You may not yet know the name of Bendix Sixhøj Laursen, but with time you will.