Aaron Bateman

I can’t talk about food without talking about my grandmother. A telling influence in my early life, the thought of her grilled lamb chops, served simply with mint sauce, boiled potatoes and peas, is still a beautiful memory. But food then was sustenance only. Slowly, as evidenced by this project, it is becoming something more.

CPH Meal is the realisation of a shared determination to do rather than talk, an expression of a burgeoning appreciation of good food and its preparation, and it’s about creating accessible and memorable one-off events.

But, perhaps most importantly, it’s a way to grow and explore.

Chris Calvert

When it comes to food, I was a late starter. My mother will testify that I was a notoriously fussy eater – turning down food on the basis of disliking it when I’d never even tasted it before. My early adult life saw a rebellion to this gastronomic naïveté, and my childish enthusiasm for exploring a now more adventurous palate earned me further notoriety amongst my friends for swiftly emptying plates.

What I love about food is its ability to push aside the accumulated detritus of a ‘modern life’ and create moments of uncontrived joy. A place where the mere and humble act of sustaining one’s self can flourish into a context for our most treasured memories and closest relationships.

Since moving to Copenhagen three years ago, I’ve eaten far better and cooked much more than ever before, and it is this momentum that catapulted me into the CPH Meal project. What I hope we will achieve in our role as enthusiastic amateurs is to glean as much as we can from the large number gastronomic professionals in Copenhagen and share those insights with you, either as guests to our events, or readers of our blog.