Rasmus Kofoed

It’s Wednesday afternoon in September. Standing outside Bocuse d’or test kitchen, it seems quite but as soon as you step in, you hear the constant shuffling and bustling in the background as practice and preparations are underway. It is a couple of days before the Bocuse d’Or finals in Lyon and Yeswefood.com has caught coach Rasmus Kofoed in a rare moment of relative calm in the test kitchen. Here he opens up on his feelings about Bocuse d’Or on a personal level. His responsibilities as a coach. His thoughts about the candidate. And offers his best advice for the team on the day of the final.

“To me, Bocuse d’Or first and foremost means creative freedom. Freedom to do what drives you. The ability to take the time needed to create the ultimate meal,” he begins his account. Rasmus Kofoed leaves no doubt that winning his three coveted statues has meant a lot. But to the 47-year old star chef, the Bocuse d’Or experience is more than just that. “It is about creative freedom and the journey towards the goal. The ability to pay full attention to a single ingredient or a dish. “That Ronni and his team are able to walk around out here and only focus on that,” he adds, “I think that is incredible and a privilege.”

The words are those of a man who have not only competed three times in Bocuse d’Or, but also those of a man who has helped coach several others to success. A man who more than anyone knows what it takes, metanlly, to compete. A man who has seen it all and may now be offering his final service as coach.

One last dance? On returning to the role as coach

“I have coached other people and other countries with great success,” he reveals, “it felt great. But at the same time, I felt a division within me. One year, for example, I felt great having coached Hungary to success, and at the same time I felt sad because Denmark did not perform very well that year.” 

Perhaps it was partially this division in him that made him give it one more shot. Perhaps it was something else entirely. What remains clear is that it was not an easy choice for Rasmus Kofoed to return to coaching. Given the fact that he also has a wife, three kids, three Michelin stars and a world-class restaurant to take care of - amongst other things - Rasmus Kofoed was not certain he would ever be coaching again, he admits in all honesty.

It is a lot of work, he reveals and it takes a lot of time out of an already busy schedule. But something made him return to coaching, perhaps for the last time, he reveals, and that something was Ronni Vexøe Mortensen: A former chef student of his as well as a former commis (assistent) in the 2007 Bocuse d’Or final. A determined young man looking to make a name for himself on the grandest stage of them all.

“Four years ago, I was looking for a creative sous chef for Geranium,” Rasmus explains on the topic of how he and Ronni first bonded, “I found myself wondering. Whatever happened to Ronni?” Rasmus at the time had known Ronni for several years. In fact, Ronnie earned his chef whites under Rasmus at Geranium. And they won a silver medal at Bocuse d’Or 2007 when Ronni was still very young but already a fantastic competitive chef. “He has that certain mindset and willpower that not a lot of people have,” says Kofoed about the seemingly quiet chef. “He seems mild mannered, but look at him on a football pitch for example and you will see the spark in him.”

After some searching for his old pupil, it turned out Ronni could be found working in a cafeteria. And Rasmus, a family man himself, gave the young man an offer he could not refuse: “Listen, Ronni,” he said, “you are wasting your drive and talent by working here. I want to try to create a job for you that fits well with you being married and having had a kid. Want to see how it works out?” And within a very short span of time, Ronni became a perfect part of the Geranium puzzle.

Yet, the young protégé with time turned out to be much more than just a perfect puzzle piece for Geranium. With the help of his mentor, Rasmus Kofoed, he eventually turned into Denmark’s newest hope for a Bocuse d’Or victory. A hope of which his friend and mentor has this to say:

“Because we have worked together and because we have competed together on the Chef’s National Team as well as at Bocuse d’Or, we have this near telepathic ability. When I brief him about an idea, he can execute it like no other. That level of synergy”, he confesses, “ I have never experienced with any other chef. And we both benefit tremendously. 

“Like I said,” he continues earnestly, “I was actually in doubt whether I would ever coach again. I do not do things half-heartedly. If I do something, I do it full on and with all my heart. With Ronni, I was never in doubt. I would help him and I would support his journey. With all I have to give.”

“As for myself,” Rasmus Kofoed explains, “I am only happy to be able to contribute my experiences and my willpower to this journey. My ability to demand something that is more than just good enough. Because that is what it takes to be amongst the very best.”  

“We could easily go to Bocuse d’Or,” he points out “and have a good time and a great experience. Without all of this practice and constant repetition, however, you do not become amongst the best in the world unless you try particularly hard and you know how and where to make an effort. This is the feeling I try to instill into the team.”

“My most important contribution,” he asks with a touch of bewilderment when faced with the question. “I mean. We are a team. This is not about me as a person,” he continues. To Rasmus Kofoed, this journey is more about making Ronni and his team shine. How to make them perform their very best in the kitchen.

“There is an air of psychology to it,” he says, “to slowly elevate the dishes and demand more from the chefs, but never too quickly.” It is about slowly cranking the volume button, he argues, about making the team feel safe and secure in their daily routines while slowly and constantly evolving their dishes, adding new layers and watching things evolve. 

“They need to see a constant change and evolution, and they need to find motivation in that. This entire process is about lifting them higher and higher to the point where they will peak on September 26th in Lyon and perform their very best. I have no doubt they will. It is, after all, what we have been training towards and what they are geared towards mentally.”

Enjoy this moment. It will be part of you. FOREVER.

Talking to the fast-paced and determined coach on a Wednesday afternoon mere weeks before the contest, there seems to be no doubt in his mind that his team stands prepared and that the strategy has worked as intended.

Yet, the question on everybody's mind these days seems to be: Will it work? How will Team Denmark fare in Lyon? No one, obviously, knows the team and their work ethics better than the man who coached them. So how exactly does the mentor and coach view the team and their chances? Well, according to the man who knows Team Denmark better than most, they are certainly prepared to do what it takes to go all the way.

“Ronni is extremely strong when it comes to thinking creatively,” Rasmus Kofoed says confidently. “He has some masterful techniques, works well in a kitchen and has a pleasant character. Some of his techniques need a bit of fine tuning but I had help with that myself. He is extremely good at creating a visual aura around his food through the use of geometric shapes and colors to create a better dining experience.”

“His team work with Sebastian is really strong as well,” he adds. “They have worked together, after all. We made them work together because Sebastian is skilled but also to boost their ability to cooperate under pressure. We have, in this competition, seen instances where the commis simply ran off or did not bother to perform. This ordeal can be incredibly demanding mentally. You have to really want to excel and win. And Sebastian has that drive and the mental abilities. He has proven that again and again.”

Rasmus, unlike fellow past winner, Kenneth Toft Hansen, offers no exact prediction for a placement for Team Denmark. Perhaps because he knows fully well that they are prepared to do whatever it takes to go all the way. Perhaps because he knows that at the end of the day, what matters is to give it your all. And enjoy the privilege to be part of something this grand. 

Read also: Kenneth Toft Hansen - On going the distance. What it takes to win the Bocuse d’Or

To the coach, the competitive legend who has placed on every tier of the upper echelon of Bocuse d’Or - bronze, silver and gold -  winning is key, but it is also all about the journey and the experience. About giving all that you have got and about being humble and proud in the process. A fact that becomes blindingly clear as he rounds off the interview with his final words of advice to the team on the day.

“Remember to stop. Stop. Breathe deeply. Exhale slowly,” he stresses poetically, “keep working but as you do, look around and enjoy this moment. It will be part of you. Forever,” he says dreamily as if reliving the process in his mind. “Typically, when you are in the middle of something like this, you just want to move one and deliver. Remember to pause, however briefly, and enjoy the moment. 

This will be the first and only time you cook this fantastic meal for these great people. You are privileged to stand in this very kitchen. In this specific space. Show some respect and gratitude and really get it under your skin.”