Rasmus Munk, chef of Alchemist and known as Copenhagen’s chef provocateur, was born in 1991 in the town of Randers in Jutland, Denmark.
He started his culinary journey at the tender age of 22 when he became head chef of TreeTop in Vejle, where he threw the rule book out the window and began treating and combining ingredients in new and innovative ways. It was the embarkation on a lifelong quest to challenge convention, and to explore the hidden potential of food as a medium for communication.
Munk opened Alchemist in 2015, and closed it to reopen in 2019, in an old shipyard in the industrial district of Refshaleøen, its current incarnation. Here Munk develops innovative, often provocative dishes that inspire thought and discussion on the topics facing humanity today.
The restaurant includes a gigantic planetarium – where images of giant jellyfish dance amongst floating plastic bags – plus art installations, including a solo violinist performance in collaboration with the symphony orchestra, not to mention the sensory overload of the ‘pink room’.
Munk constantly surprises, even shocks his guests with his ‘Holistic Cuisine’. Dishes carry messages – his Think Outside the Box, Autumn Kiss, Andy Warhol, and Food for Thought dishes are far from conventional gastronomic offerings and play into Munk’s love of the theatrical in an experience that lives where the lines of food, art, commentary and performance intersect. In 2020, Alchemist earned two Michelin stars after only seven months of opening.
With his non-profit Junk Food, Munk puts his spare time to good use, helping to feed and provide nutrition for Copenhagen’s homeless and those at the fringes of society. He is a sought after food innovator at gastronomy conferences and summits around the world.
