Love for the profession of cooking: A chef's journey from D'Angleterre to ART
Trained at D'Angleterre in Copenhagen and now head chef at Kunsten in Aalborg – Thomas Mathiesen's journey through the culinary profession has been filled with exciting opportunities, new challenges and most of all – a love and curiosity for the craft.
TV kitchen and mud cakes
It has always been the plan for Thomas Mathiesen to be a chef. He has been interested in cooking since he was a child, and he also remembers how, as a child, he would make TV kitchens out in the garden and invent different recipes out of mud, soil and grass. His favorite programs were the food programs that were on TV at the time, and even though his friends later applied to high school, it was never an option for Thomas. He wanted to be a chef.
“I have always had an interest and curiosity about food. I have been very interested in it ever since I was little, and therefore it has come very naturally to me. It has always been a kind of hobby, and I have always known that I should be a chef.”
That curiosity and interest has been the starting point for a long and versatile career in the culinary profession.
From Hotel Randers to D'Angleterre
When Thomas grew up in Randers, the city's finest place was Hotel Randers. That's why he cycled there when, at the age of 12, he decided he wanted to work as a chef. Although he didn't get a job, his determination was rewarded and he was allowed to come and help - for free - with preparing bread and helping with other small tasks at the hotel.
The time at Hotel Randers later led to a training course as a chef, and in 1999 Thomas was apprenticed at D'Angleterre in Copenhagen, where he spent most of his apprenticeship. However, it was not on the streets of Copenhagen that his training as a chef began. It did so at Techcollege, where he received some valuable tools that he still uses in his working life today. For Thomas, mastering the basic principles is a particularly important art, as it provides success and opportunities later on.
"It's important to learn the basics from scratch. You need to master the classic sauces and basic preparations. Because that means you always have a base. If you master them, you can always work from there."
If you have a handle on the basic principles, then there is also room to play with creativity and Thomas has no doubt that one of the best things about being a chef is the way you can be creative.
Remember curiosity
Curiosity has always been a central element in Thomas' approach to work. He has been outgoing and curious, and this has opened the door to many exciting career opportunities over time.
When he had completed his apprenticeship at D'Angleterre, he briefly worked in his first chef job at Hotel Kong Frederik, which was under the same owner, before going to the South of France. Here he worked for a well-known chef who had connections in the South of France, right between Nice and Cannes. After France, Thomas and his wife returned to Denmark, where he mainly worked in the Aarhus area. A golden moment also completes the circle when he gets a call from Hotel Randers and they offer him the job as head chef.
“I'm actually going to be the head chef at Hotel Randers. They called and asked if I wanted to be the head chef. I was incredibly happy about that, it was a big deal for me.”
There is therefore no doubt that the culinary training has opened many doors throughout Thomas' working life. When he returns home from France, he visits, among other things, a shop in Aarhus that sells cheeses and specialties. His time in France had awakened his interest in new hams, cheeses and other culinary specialties, and he is determined to learn more and broaden his horizons after his return to Denmark. He is therefore in the shop in Aarhus for a year, and it gives him a whole new set of skills that he has since used in his working life.
Curiosity has always been a central element in Thomas' approach to work. He has been outgoing and curious, and this has opened the door to many exciting career opportunities over time.
When he had completed his apprenticeship at D'Angleterre, he briefly worked in his first chef job at Hotel Kong Frederik, which was under the same owner, before going to the South of France. Here he worked for a well-known chef who had connections in the South of France, right between Nice and Cannes. After France, Thomas and his wife returned to Denmark, where he mainly worked in the Aarhus area. A golden moment also completes the circle when he gets a call from Hotel Randers and they offer him the job as head chef.
“I'm actually going to be the head chef at Hotel Randers. They called and asked if I wanted to be the head chef. I was incredibly happy about that, it was a big deal for me.”
There is therefore no doubt that the culinary training has opened many doors throughout Thomas' working life. When he returns home from France, he visits, among other things, a shop in Aarhus that sells cheeses and specialties. His time in France had awakened his interest in new hams, cheeses and other culinary specialties, and he is determined to learn more and broaden his horizons after his return to Denmark. He is therefore in the shop in Aarhus for a year, and it gives him a whole new set of skills that he has since used in his working life.
The Brasserie at the Arts
Courage, curiosity and a sincere love for the culinary profession have brought many opportunities, and by daring to seek out new places and people, it has resulted in a versatile and exciting career as a chef. Thomas, who is privately married to Mia and a father of four, now works at Brasseriet ved Kunsten in Aalborg, where he has overall responsibility for chefs, waiters, dishwashing and hourly employees. He particularly appreciates the opportunity to now work with a more rustic expression, and to show the joy of being with him all the way when it comes to experimenting and being creative in the culinary profession.
“There is nothing cooler than finding different elements and then being able to put them together. In my work at Kunsten, I am more into the more rustic expression, and for me there is nothing better than from farm to table - where you pull something out of the ground and then prepare it and eat it right away. It is a cool feeling.”
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