It is well known that the program of the Weekend Food Festival is rich and varied and that it includes a range of interesting lectures, panel discussions and masterclasses featuring the biggest names from the domestic and world culinary scenes. With such a plethora of interesting events it is difficult to follow them all, however, some of them simply cannot be missed. In a word, it would be a sin. When there is a name like Rasmus Munk on the list of lecturers, then, unfortunately, everything else gets pushed to the wayside. Whatever this young man—the chef of Alchemist, a two-star Michelin restaurant—does is worthy of our undivided attention. Although he never had a desire to become a chef but rather a mechanic or a biker, he accidentally, at the urging of a friend, enrolled in a catering school, entered the kitchen and a miracle happened.
Munk is simply an extraordinary talent. He is a chef, but also an artist, innovator, thinker and philosopher who surprises, shocks, provokes, entertains and makes you think. The food he makes isn’t just slightly different, it’s totally different. It’s unpredictable. Nothing is banal or incidental. Everything he prepares is very significant. Munk not only combines ingredients and flavors, he creates a story, talks about what’s important and draws attention to key elements. You’re not just thinking about what you’re eating, but about everything that’s going on around you. As he himself points out, his food, like any other, brings pleasure and a sensory experience that is always in focus, but it also says something. His dishes are intelligent, real, lively and inevitably encourage change, awareness and deep reflection on the most important topics of life; initiating questions and conversations about current and sometimes eternal social and ethical issues.
Munk led a virtual tour of the Alchemist during the Weekend Food Festival, as he gave everyone in attendance a peek into his world—which is anything but something one would expect from a restaurant. The Alchemist is like an avant-garde theatre performance where you never know exactly how many acts there will be or what will actually be shown, only that the performance will last at least three to six hours. This mysterious, unconventional and eccentric restaurant is entered through a mighty two-ton bronze door which only hints at what awaits you inside. In the first, minimalist room, where small snacks, cocktails or champagne are served, there are no surprising moments. The next door, however, leads to the unknown. Two separate rooms are regularly changed and filled with incredible elements through amazing and even stunning video projections, music and lighting. There are no sources of natural light in Alchemist and Munk and his team completely control the conditions of this insanely interesting game without letting his customers be distracted by anything external. The presentation and interpretation of the dishes literally leave you breathless; they are striking and eccentric, but also glamorous, elegant and luxurious, and unites Munk’s culinary philosophy and vision of holistic cuisine in which gastronomy, art, science and socializing are intertwined and complemented.
When you come across something you don’t have a defined opinion about, because you haven’t had the opportunity to know, hear and feel it completely; when you haven’t entered that world and gone into the unknown, you can’t even know what certain experiences can evoke and develop.
Through his cooking, Munk talks about life, change, history and the contemporary, about the terrifying digital world we live in, what we do, the good and the bad, the important and valuable, trying in its own way to create change and direct us all to what is right and fundamental. When things are done in such a way, without any compromise and in complete freedom, without meeting anyone’s expectations, existing norms and rules that have been imposed and that are not always correct; new paths are discovered, and fresh ideas and stories are created.
