Paul Cunningham, chef of Henne Kirkeby Kro in Henne on the rugged coast of Denmark got the surprise of his life as he clinched the second Michelin star after receiving the first last year. “I did not see it coming,” he said.
“It was a wonderful surprising experience. I am humbled, grateful and proud. My Hennefolk, I love you,” he said.
Known for his bold and dramatic cooking, Paul said that this was the absolute highlight of his career in the kitchen and thanked everyone for the beautiful messages which made ‘an old man very happy.’
Many took to Twitter to congratulate the English chef. Among them was Gelinaz!, the collective of chefs of which he is a member. They called him a ‘GELINAZ Masterkiddo’.
Among the chefs who congratulated him on Twitter were Michel Roux Jr, Tom Kitchin, Nathan Outlaw, Tim Allen and Jp McMahon.
Paul Cunningham of Paul Food cooks everyday and calls himself a chef and wanderer. He is also author and photographer. Born in Essex, England in 1969 he was trained as chef at various British restaurants and country house hotels. Then he met Lene, a beautiful Danish girl, and moved with her to Korsør, Denmark in 1994. He has worked at Søllerød Kro, Formel B, Coquus, co-owner of The Paul – Tivoli Garden in Copenhagen – and since 2012 head chef at Henne Kirkeby Kro.
He received a star in the Michelin Guide Rouge in 2003-2011 at The Paul. In 2012, the chef moved to Henne Kirkeby Kro to fulfil his dream of having a kitchen garden attached to the restaurant he works in. He is author of eight cookbooks.
The restaurant Henne Kirekby Kro will open for the new season on Saturday 8 April 2017. It is situated around 3 hours away by car from Copenhagen.
The restaurant will be open from lunch on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 12.00 to 3pm and for coffee from 4.30pm. It will be open for dinner from Thursday to Saturday from 6pm to 9.30pm. From May 1, the restaurant also opens on Wednesday evening.
Among those awarded a star were Restaurant 108 in Copenhagen run by chef Kristian Baumann formerly of Noma. The latter restaurant lost its 2 stars as it will close its doors for good in the coming days to reopen in a new location.
Frantzén and Mathias Dahlgren-Matsalen in Stockholm, Sweden both lost their 2 stars as they have also closed doors. You can find the full list of Nordic restaurants listed in the Michelin guide here.
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