We know Rasmus Munk as the chef leading an unparalleled restaurant in the world in economic power and expressive means, Alchemist in Copenhagen. Now comes Spora, an innovation center dedicated to sustainable food research, set to revolutionize the food industry.
The news
For Rasmus Munk, the fifth place in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants was not enough, achieved not without provocations, thanks to unparalleled economic power that allows him to turn any fantasy into reality.
Beyond the implacable prices of his two Michelin stars, he demonstrated sensitivity to philanthropic reasons, feeding the needy throughout Denmark through the "JunkFood" foundation. Now, after numerous academic collaborations aimed at developing innovative foods and technologies, he takes a further step by founding the innovation center "Spora," which unabashedly aims to change the world.
In his view, the pursuit of taste will guide technology toward the development of nutritious and sustainable products that people will truly want to eat, triggering global change. "I firmly believe that we can harness the vibrancy and inventiveness of the restaurant, making it accessible to the public," he bets. After all, Alchemist has always transformed what the man on the street would consider waste or garbage, such as jellyfish, raised butterflies, brains, tracheae, and various offcuts, into gourmet delicacies.
Claus and Bente Christiansen, a couple of scientists who founded the Nordic Bioscience research center thirty years ago, have provided the money with an initial investment of 10 million Danish crowns, equivalent to one million three hundred thousand euros. "We firmly believe in this business model and that Rasmus Munk is the right person to implement it."
But aside from a stake held by the restaurant itself, the majority owner is the billionaire Lars Christensen, who believes that discovering new means to feed the planet is the utmost urgency of our times. Specifically, the first challenges addressed will be the recycling of food industry waste and the development of new protein sources.
In the center’s operations, based in Refshaleøen, in the port of Copenhagen, inside a modern building covering a thousand square meters, leading figures from different worlds will be involved in a multidisciplinary approach: art, gastronomy, economics, science, and technology. They will have fully equipped kitchens, scientific laboratories, and 3D design studios. A promotion that will undoubtedly propel the Danish restaurant even higher.
