5_ScanMag_77_June_2015_Text_Q9_Scan Magazine 1 05/06/2015 16:49 Page 81
Scan Magazine | Business Feature | Weber Grill Academy
Barbequing is not just a job, but a passion for Manager of Weber Grill Academy North Anders Jensen who spends his spare time travelling and competing with the Danish National BBQ Team.
become a part of the Danish national identity. “Our goal has always been to increase people’s barbeque knowledge and skills so that if they want to do their Christmas roast on the barbeque, they feel comfortable enough to do that. It is not just about grilling sausages and pork chops in the summer; it is about creating a certain lifestyle. When people learn to grill more things, they feel more confident using the grill in their everyday cooking.” The strategy, which was initiated in 2003, has been a success, and for the last four years approximately 20,000 people have gone through Weber Grill Academy each year. Today, measured per inhabitant, Denmark barbeques more than any other nation in the world - even the sunny ones. Fire it up – it is time for dessert Some people might object that the barbeque trend is not compatible with the refined and renowned healthy Nordic cuisine. But though it is a part of Weber, (a family-owned USA-based company producing the Weber grill, which has become a household name in Denmark), the Danish Weber Grill Academy has created a barbeque culture that is uniquely fitted to the Nordic region’s famously zealous approach to food. “BBQ food might have a bad reputation as something quite greasy
and unhealthy, but it can be a lot of other things. It can be smoked salmon and grilled vegetable puree or even a chocolate cake; people just do not know. In our classes we cook the entire meal on a grill,” says Anders Jensen and adds: “Of course it has to make sense, that is part of what makes it fun. But what we experience is that people find it quite cool to be able to tell their guests that they grilled the chocolate cake they are having for dessert. It is just a way of showing to yourself and others that this is something you like and know how to do. Besides, it is a great thing to do when you are done with the main course instead of just turning off the grill as the heat is most intense.” Not all courses are equally adventurous though, and, Anders Jensen ensures us, that Weber Grill Academy’s classes in the UK, are adjusted to the, as of yet, slightly less BBQ-crazed nation. “We always meet people where they are, but we anticipate that the UK is hungry for more knowledge when it comes to barbequing.” Whether the UK will be smitten with the Nordic style BBQ mania, time will show. But one thing is certain: Weber Grill Academy has a burning ambition to spread the fire.
Weber’s first Danish Weber Grill Academy opened in North Zealand in 2003, then, in 2007, at the Weber HQ in Aalborg, and, in 2010, Copenhagen Weber Grill Academy opened in a historic courtyard building on Amerikakaj wharf. The Weber Grill Academy On Tour also offers short introductory grill courses all over the North and UK. Since its beginning in 2003, Weber Grill Academy has expanded the world of barbequing for approximately 250,000 Danes. Weber Grill Academy is not just known for its BBQ classes but also provides popular grill events for company teambuilding, board meetings, anniversaries, product launches or staff events. This summer Weber Grill Academy is offering a string of BBQ classes around the UK with new Weber Grill Academy partners in enthusiastic cookery schools.
For more information, please visit: www.webergrillacademy.dk
Issue 77 | June 2015 | 81