Some food for thought voiced by ourselves, our friends
and peers who inspire us

 BULLETTIN | JANUARY 2023

TALK in Marrakech: Unfolding Morocco’s plant diversity

Claus Meyer is January 26th participating in a TALK at the kitchen school Um Mami in Marrakech.

Morocco is located between the Mediterranean, the extended coast of the Atlantic Ocean, and the expansive Atlas Mountains surrounded by deserts. As a result, Morocco possesses a tremendous variety of ecosystems with rich plant diversity, a richness that used to be easily reflected in Moroccan dishes and earned its cuisine an international reputation. However, when taking a deeper look, the Moroccan cuisine relies only on a few plant varieties of grains, and plants, and as result it is limiting the potential of the country's rich botanic heritage to bring more versatility to it’s dishes.

 BULLETIN | NOVEMBER 2022

IT IS CHRISTMAS

This Christmas, the defining Danish interior-darling Georg Jensen Damask has invited Claus Meyer and his wife, Christina Bengtson to share a Christmas tradition especially close to their hearts - using the Damask Christmas Collection as a starting point for a decorated Christmas table. Every Christmas, inspired by the rich and sophisticated Middle Eastern culture and its food traditions, the Meyer family hosts a seasonal party with a warming dinner and a creative nativity play. The evening party is full of joy, goodwill, and tradition. The Georg Jensen tablecloth exhibits one of the collection's most nostalgic and absolute signature patterns. It is an exclusive piece of interior, which one grows up with and passes on to the next generation, just like a family recipe, or a Christmas tradition. Read the full interview here or watch the recap video below.

 OPINION | NOVEMBER 2022

SOME CHEESE FOR THOUGT …

The first time I tasted the Samsø cheese was in 1989, when a good friend of mine, Sven Grønlykke, first began bragging about an unparalleled, Emmentaler-like cheese from Asaa dairy corporation. Back then, numerous dairy co-operations like the one in Asaa lay scattered all over Denmark. As a result, every little city or hamlet was known for its unique kind of cheese or dairy product, which typically was accompanied by another local produce and exhibited in the regional cuisine. For decades, the Samsø cheese has served as an envoy from a bygone golden age of the Danish co-op movement. Unfortunately, only a dozen of these co-ops has stood the course of history, and consequently, Asaa diary corporation is now about to cease its production for good. I went to greet the family, who proudly has overseen the production for decades - and of course to secure my friends and family a very last wheel of the awfully delicious cheese. On that occasion, I shared some of my thoughts on the rather counterproductive aspects of recent dynamic and vital movements in the hospitality sector.

— Claus Meyer, November 2022

Read the full caption on Instagram

 BULLETIN | JUNE 2022

Melting Pot Foundation opens new culinary center in Morocco

“Um Mami” is the name of a new culinary center for education and innovation in Marrakesh by the Melting Pot Foundation. Here, Morocco’s rich and proud food traditions meet notes from the New Nordic Cuisine. The initiative is a collaboration between the Melting Pot Foundation, the Danish-Arab Partnership Programme (DAAP), and Oxfam IBIS. The aim of the eight-week intensive gastronomy training course is to improve employment opportunities for youth in a country affected by inequality and high rates of youth unemployment. The grand opening took place on 9 June 2022 in Marrakesh and by the end of July, the first team of aspiring young chefs will receive a diploma for their training at Um Mami. Um Mami is the latest initiative in a series of socio-economic projects led by the Melting Pot Foundation.

“While Denmark and in fact all of Europe was in its “Middle Ages”, Fez was a kind of Athens. A city with a sophisticated culture and enormous vitality. The Karaouiyine Mosque as you know was founded in 859 (before Sorbonne and Oxford) and it was the first university in the world. At that time Morocco was a world center for theology, astrology, medicine, math, agriculture, irrigation technology, metallurgy, and Moroccan cuisine was considered the most sophisticated in the world…

…The question that keeps me awake is the following: why does Moroccan cuisine not find this past positioning, with all the social-cultural and economic progress that this will imply for Morocco?”

— Claus Meyer, June 2022

Read Claus’ opening speech in French and English here

 OPINION | JUNE 2022

A Recent feature in Financial Times apprises the Copenhagen food scene with sharp criticism

This long read reveals some obscure truths about what’s really going on behind the scenes at some of the high-profile restaurants in Copenhagen. Here, the New Nordic Cuisine has generated a fantastic food-tourism industry and catalyzed a conscious movement of sustainability with a local focal point. However, several reports concerning sexism, racism, homophobia, bullying and dangerous working conditions continue to arise from the founding figures of this momentum. Our industry lacks a significant pool of human capital already. Undoubtedly, this piece exposes parts of the problem and portrays a definite inhuman, unhealthy, and unsustainable working environment. One nobody should accept.

Find the article here

 BULLETIN | MAY 2022

Claus Meyer appointed Adjunct Professor at the TechNICAL University of Denmark

Copenhagen-based chefs, engineers, and bioanalysts have joined forces to create a sustainable course for our plates as well as the planet. In the wake of this momentum, DTU is welcoming Claus Meyer onboard on their mission to reduce the food industry’s carbon footprints and secure sustainable supply chains for the generations to come. 

“My intention with the collaboration is to contribute to knowledge sharing among and between all the different branches implied in our supply chains. Legumes can taste like the most delicious umami-packed dishes, but we need our chefs to look in the microscope and the scientists to get mud under their nails to make it happen. It is essential to the culinary experience and the green transition.”

— Claus Meyer, May 2022

Find the article here (Danish only)

BULLETIN | MARCH 2021

CORONA/COVID-19
(DAMAGE) CONTROL

Read this chronicle by Executive Coach and Entrepreneur Erik Algreen on Claus Meyer’s pivotal Corona/COVID-19 (damage) control on the daily operations; so although an immediate challenge for business, at the same time, the perfect storm for fast-forward initiatives.

“Da coronavirussen brød løs, og landet lukkede, valgte Claus fantasien og samlede et hold af de meste kreative og frygtløse medarbejdere. Sammen rakte de ud til nye og eksisterende samarbejdspartnere og udviklede sammen en bredspektret offensiv plan for at ændre virksomhedens situation.”

— Erik Algreen, Berlingske Business, March 2021

OPINION | FEBRUARY 2021

wE CAN HEAL OUR FOOD SYSTEMS

In this episode of the Oracle Podcast series Claus Meyer shares his vision on how we can produce and consume food in a way that aligns with our hope that future generations can live happy and healthy on this planet.

“Every way that we humans sustain ourselves - be it through hunting and gathering, fishing, growing crops or farming animals - we depend on the natural resources of the planet.

Our ancestors have stood on a burning platform before. Now things are a mess again . But this time, it’s one single very intelligent species that is almost single handedly destroying all livelyhood on the planet as well as big parts of the biosphere. Our current food system and agriculture is wreaking havoc on the climate; its unjust, unamenable, unequal, unhealthy and its unsustainable

However, I am optimistic. And I will tell you why.”

— Claus Meyer, the Oracle Podcast, February 2021