Copenhagen is not the guest city, but it will be a major feature on the 20th anniversary of Madrid Fusión. The Danish capital, one of today's culinary hotspots (or perhaps the culinary hotspot nowadays), will be sending as many as three Nordic chefs to set up a strictly non-bellicose north-south dialogue. As congress president José Carlos Capel explains, this will be a live contrast of a cookery model that has emerged in recent years, placing the international gastronomic focus on this northern European city with a population of just over half a million. From Copenhagen to Madrid thanks to Rene Redzepi (Noma***), who will be talking to Andoni Luis Aduriz; Rasmus Munk (Alchemist**), and Eric Vildgaard (Jordnær**).

René Redzepi. The world number one

Not much to add about Rene Redzepi. “It has been his year, and this is our 20th anniversary. He had to be there”. José Carlos Capel had no difficulty persuading him. “Rene has often said that his visit to Madrid Fusión 2008 changed his life. He met a lot of people here, and he was impressed”. This Dane with an Albanian father had previously worked at elBulli, he had opened Noma, and he had already published the forerunner “Manifesto for New Nordic Cuisine”, the document he used to lay the foundations of the gastronomy revolution which ensued. 

So much so that Noma, at its previous location, took over from Ferran Adrià's setup as best in the world in “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants”. The year was 2010. He took the top ranking again in 2011, 2012 and 2014, and once more in 2021 at the new location. As if all this were not enough, in the last year he has achieved the three Michelin stars, making Noma one of the best restaurants ever. “A pleasure for us to have him in Madrid and explain it all to us”, adds Capel, especially since he is not one for congresses. 

Rasmus Munk. Gastronomy and technology

Number one on the 2021 OAD list, Alchemist is much more than just a restaurant. It is a lifelike portrait of its chef Rasmus Munk, who claims his cuisine is "holistic". Alchemist serves up food and also a global experience, with artistic projections to create and enhance moods, and a trajectory through recreated spaces, with messages used by Munk to encourage social and ethical debate. With two Michelin stars, notched up only seven months after it opened, Alchemist has one of the world's longest waiting lists (six months recently). It will be worth the wait. A safe bet in terms of time, phases and cost: the whole experience takes around six hours, in 50 phases, and can cost between 500 and 800 dollars.

Eric Vildgaard. A naughty boy on the straight and narrow

Eric Vildegaard is breaking moulds in Danish cuisine due to his radical fare at Jordnær**, and the fact that he has not concealed a truculent past. As a young man he was involved in juvenile gangs, robbery, organised crime etc. It seemed that nothing good could come of all this, except the discovery of his passion for cooking when he was put in charge of the refectory on a cruise for young people with problems. But things were not so easy. He continued to spend his time between cooking (at Noma, where his brother also worked) and darker occupations. The final change was brought about by his girlfriend at the time and now his wife, Tina Kragh. They set up a restaurant in a lowly hotel in Copenhagen, where she worked the floor, and it earned two Michelin stars in only three years. The critics, the diners, and a range of recipes with Nordic, French and Asian ingredients endorse the eatery.