As the warm season approaches, residents in Copenhagen are increasingly drawn to the city’s effortlessly cool dining culture — where traditional white tablecloths and set menus are put aside in favour of eclectic table settings, al-fresco dining, and inventive sharing concepts. We met with three culinary creatives shaping the Danish capital’s food scene to explore the concepts, trends and influences steering the cultural tide.
Home to the New Nordic manifesto: an ever-evolving culinary movement centred around local and seasonal produce; it’s no surprise that Copenhagen is widely renowned for its progressive, hyper-sustainable food culture. In their search for the next wave in food innovation, a group of ambitious young chefs and food scientists have turned to a rather unexpected source for answers: trash.
In a production facility on the outskirts of Copenhagen’s Nordhavn district, a new approach to combatting food waste is taking shape. Meet REDUCED, the innovative biotechnology company turning by-products and side-streams from the food industry into elevated taste experiences. Here, everything from wonky, ‘less-than-perfect’ vegetables to shore crabs and chicken wingtips, are transformed from ‘waste’ to ‘taste’.
We catch up with chef and REDUCED co-founder, William Lauf Olsen on the floor of the company’s production facility. In stark contrast to the large, industrial steel tanks lining the room, William sets the table for a team lunch using cheerful, yellow tableware from our Flow Series. Before him lies a spread of herring served with browned butter and chives, beetroot-infused devilled eggs, braised lamb with mint gremolata, Blue Congo potatoes and a bounty of raw, seasonal vegetables spanning every colour of the rainbow.
Coming from a restaurant family, William’s foray into the world of food waste began long before REDUCED was established. Alongside Emil Munck de Voss, William founded the company in 2020 with the idea of creating a high-quality stock using leftover vegetables and proteins from the agricultural industry.
According to William, setting a clear mission has been an essential part of REDUCED’s journey. “As a chef, I love working within principles. We do this with all our products since we’re only working with produce that others have deemed unusable. The thrill of constantly having to search for creative or alternative ways of doing things is what makes our work fun,” he explains.
William’s own philosophy towards cooking is driven by a desire for experimentation that places people at the very centre. “I’ve always been very fascinated by the individual who's going to eat the final product, and this is what spurns my curiosity for trying out cooking and fermentation techniques,” he tells us.
“Ultimately, my philosophy on food revolves around ensuring that people not only want to consume it, but also enjoy doing so. With our focus on unconventional ingredients, we embrace the challenge of showing that, despite being derived from by-products, our products can still deliver uncompromising flavour and satisfaction.”
Today, William is joined around the table by his REDUCED colleagues, who are gathered to share a special meal cooked by their founder. “I love doing spin-offs of classic holiday lunches, whether for Christmas or Easter,” shares William. “For today’s menu, we’re having lamb and herring, which are dishes that are really enjoyable to share when celebrating any occasion.”
Naturally, using local ingredients is an integral part of REDUCED’s mission and a habit that William believes others can learn from the Danes. He explains: “In Denmark, we have very cold winters and our typically, our produce during the winter months isn’t very exciting. To combat this, many Danes have grown comfortable with preserving ingredients, either by fermentation or techniques such as pickling and drying. There are so many great ways to preserve beautiful ingredients from the summer so you can enjoy them throughout the winter months too.”
According to William however, the secret to throwing a food-waste friendly dinner party like a true Copenhagener lies in conquering your fear of the best-before date. “I think food tastes the best the day before it expires. Obviously, you don’t want to eat food that has gone bad, that will happen at some point, but if the food doesn’t smell or look off — it’s probably at its peak when it comes to taste,” he tells us.
William has styled the table using our Flow Tableware Series in Yellow. With it’s charming, perfectly ‘imperfect’ expression and unique glazing, Flow is the perfect sidekick for everyday dining and special occasions alike. Style it with pieces in the same colour or look to Flow’s other colourways for a mix-and-match look.
Explore the Flow Series here.
Did you get a chance to explore our other Copenhagen Dining Diaries?
