Rasmus Munk, the winner of the Best Chef Awards 2024, has risen from a humble background to become one of the most innovative chefs in the world. Known for his passion for both food and philanthropy, Munk constantly seeks ways to give back to society. A creative force in the kitchen, he uses his culinary art to inspire and educate, while dedicating himself to charitable causes. His work goes beyond cooking, aiming to make a lasting impact on the world.
The Best Chef: What is the goal of Alchemist, and what message do you aim to convey through food?
Rasmus Munk: The goal of Alchemist is, first of all, to create an immersive dining experience that challenges the concept of dining and explores what dining can truly be. We aim to communicate through our food, using it as a medium to express my feelings and thoughts about the world. I find it fascinating to elevate food from being just a craft to something that allows self-expression, much like music or art. It’s about using food as a medium to convey meaning. At the same time, we strive to create an experience that not only captivates guests but also educates and inspires them. We want people to leave with new thoughts about life and the society we live in—ideas that hopefully resonate with them long after the meal. I think it’s fascinating that food has the power to achieve that.

The Best Chef: Do you think education is also necessary to be more ethical and sustainable?
Rasmus Munk: I think education is the key to changing our societies. Unfortunately, I don’t think we focus enough on it. It starts in schools. We just had a debate in Denmark a few months ago where we discussed this topic. We need to educate our younger generation, our kids, to become better ambassadors for the future, so they can make informed, active, and positive choices. The only way they can do that is by gaining knowledge about what good choices are, how to eat, and how to curate a meal in the future.
The problem is that we’ve forgotten some of the craftsmanship behind food preparation. As we see in many countries now, it’s all about fast food and convenience. We’ve lost sight of many important aspects of food culture. For example, in Danish culture, we used to eat the whole animal and prepare dishes like pig’s head terrine, but that’s something younger generations aren’t doing today.
So, I think education is crucial—both in supporting scientific research and in teaching kids in school. Absolutely.


The Best Chef: Your project, Junk Food, has gained significant attention for its unique approach to addressing food waste and supporting vulnerable communities. Could you share more about its origins, goals, and the impact it has had so far?
Rasmus Munk: Junk Food is an organization I founded in 2020 during COVID. At the time, we had empty kitchens because the restaurant had been open for only seven months before everything suddenly shut down. The kitchens were empty, and the staff had nothing to do. So I told the team, “Now we’re going to cook food for the homeless.” We gathered the team, received significant support from the restaurant industry in Copenhagen, and got sponsorships for many ingredients that would otherwise have been discarded. Every day, we simply cooked for the homeless. I always knew that at some point the restaurant would reopen, and I didn’t want the project to die because there are so many vulnerable people who need food. So, we found a location in the Meatpacking District. Since 2020, we’ve been delivering meals every day, mainly using waste products.
Additionally, we involve young people who are struggling in life, inviting them to join the program and work in the kitchen. Kitchens are great environments for people trying to find direction, build structure, and develop skills. They can act as a facilitator for positive change.
Right now, we deliver over 400 meals daily. We’ve recently moved to a larger location with the potential to prepare 4,000 to 5,000 meals a day. This expansion allows us to serve all of Denmark, not just Copenhagen. After that, we plan to expand into Sweden and Norway.

The Best Chef: What does holistic cuisine mean for you? Can you explain it to us?
Rasmus Munk: Holistic cuisine for me is about looking at the whole experience instead of just individual parts. I think that’s what elevates it for me from being just a craft to something I would compare to art—or perhaps simply call art. It’s an experience where everything matters: from the lighting to the sounds, and of course, the food.
For those who haven’t been to Alchemist, food is, naturally, the most important aspect—it’s like the main actor in the show. If you came in here and the sound, lighting, and atmosphere were amazing, but the food was overcooked or didn’t taste good, everything would fall apart. So it’s absolutely essential that the food is of the highest quality. We source the best ingredients, and the chefs are skilled in preparing them. There’s an original language in that.
However, we’re not the kind of restaurant that focuses too much on discussing the ingredients themselves. For me, when people come here and spend this amount of money in a restaurant, it’s a given that we use the best ingredients. That’s our responsibility. I think you can compare it to a great artist: the quality of the paints they use is always top-notch, but what truly matters is what they create with them and the story they’re telling.
Here, the focus is on creating stories. We think about everything that surrounds the story—from how you sit, to the room’s temperature, and of course, the food itself.

The Best Chef: What does it mean for you to go from having no knowledge about food to being now at the top, recognized as the best chef in the world in 2024?
Rasmus Munk: I think for me, coming from what you might call a very humble background, without having been raised with any exposure to cuisine or culture in general, it’s been quite a journey. I learned the fundamentals of French cooking during my training as a chef. I trained in a canteen, making dishes like meatballs, spaghetti Bolognese, and other simple meals, changing the menu every day. That experience gave me a very broad education and fundamental knowledge about cooking, working with a variety of ingredients such as sushi rice and couscous.
Working in a canteen is different from working in a traditional restaurant, where you typically focus on specific dishes. That background, I think, gave me the ability to sometimes think outside the box and approach things differently. I wasn’t tied to rigid ideas about how things “should” be done. Of course, over the last nearly 20 years in this industry, I’ve been privileged to travel extensively, experience diverse cultures, and continuously deepen my understanding of cuisine. That has elevated my knowledge and my craft. But in a way, my upbringing has also been freeing. If I had grown up in an environment where I was exposed to classical music, frequent theater visits, museums, or fine dining, I might not have developed the same drive or approach that I have today.
That humble start sparked something in me—a desire to improve every day, to push boundaries, and to create. For me, the goal has been to build one of the best places in the world, and it’s been that passion for constant self-elevation that has brought me here.
Instagram: @rasmusmunk @alchemist
Restaurant website: https://alchemist.dk/
Restaurant address: Refshalevej 173C, 1432 Copenhagen, Denmark