Behind the Chef Eva Hurtigkarl

Behind the Chef with Eva Hurtigkarl

A Questions & Answers with Eva Hurtigkarl, Head Chef at Ganni.

Can you start by introducing yourself?

“My name is Eva Hurtigkarl, and I’m 33 years old. I’m a trained Chef, which I’ve been since 2019. I work at Ganni as a Head Chef in the canteen, where I primarily cook vegetarian food from Monday to Friday. Besides, I also do fashion week dinners and things like that. I was 25 years old when I started my food journey. I used to work at an advertising agency, where I did community marketing and PR. I worked with brands such as Havana Club and Malaco, but writing emails and creating PowerPoints became too boring and shallow. I wanted to travel a bit more and do something that wasn’t tied to language. It happened to be food and cooking for me, which is much more universal, and now I’m here.”

Q A

When did you get interested in cooking?

“I have always liked cooking, and both of my parents have worked in kitchens throughout my childhood, but I did not necessarily think I would be a chef. It was not until 2015 that I quit my job and did not know what to do.

I took a trip to the USA, where I met many people who cooked. Somehow they all asked the same question “is it really free to go to a cooking school in Denmark?” That made me think, and then I decided to do it. Still, I did not think I would complete the education; it was just to try something, but I eventually graduated in 2019.

Before I started cooking school, food was more of a hobby when I had time off. I have just practiced by cooking for my friends, arranging big dinners, or watching youtube, and thus become better. It used to be a male profession, and that is obvious. In one of the first places I worked as a chef’s apprentice, I was the only woman, also among the waiters, but a lot has happened since then. More women are visible in the industry, and surely contributes to increasing interest among women.”

“Before Ganni and during my apprenticeship, I did a lot of catering with my best friend Lulu, who is an artist. We cooked for several brands and galleries. Through that, we came to work with the clothing brand Saks Potts, for almost two years. They had a lot of cool ideas and an aesthetic, which was hugely inspiring.

When I finished cooking school, I traveled to Japan on holiday for 3 months. I, unfortunately, returned home a month earlier than expected due to corona and lockdown. I had a few jobs here and there. For instance, I worked in restaurants and hotels, so I experienced many different things gradually throughout this period.

In 2020, I had to cook for Ganni at the Fashion Summit, but it was canceled, again due to corona. Despite this, I afterward got booked to cook privately at the home of the founders, Ditte and Nicolaj, which opened the door for me to become a head chef in the canteen.”

How has your journey been since graduating?

“I sometimes look at the color scheme in the collection, which is sent to me by the designers. For example, we made smørrebrød, where we included some of the patterns in the clothes. You can sometimes translate that into some food, but you can’t only focus on aesthetics. It is just as much about making something that tastes good. And when cooking fashion week dinners for Ganni, I try to make something representing Copenhagen and Denmark.

I often begin with classic Danish dishes and then modernize them because it has to be vegetarian - it could be tartlets or smørrebrød. In the canteen, it is more mixed, where I try to get around the world a bit. I like to make dishes that already exist. I have no need to invent something completely new. There are so many good dishes in the world already. In a canteen, there must be something people can see themselves doing at home. You shouldn’t belittle ordinary food. Few people want to eat a five-course meal for lunch.”

QDo you have any aesthetic appeals or any specific way of working with food?

Q A

Any advice for young people who want to start cooking?

“Listen to your friends. I think that is always hugely rewarding. Especially cooking with others, reading about food, watching videos, and practicing techniques.

During my apprenticeship, I hadn’t worked much with fish, so every night in the weeks before my exam, I watched videos on how to skin a plaice, or fillet a cod. Youtube has helped me a lot. When I have to make menus at Ganni, I also use a lot of cookbooks. I would love to publish one sooner or later. I highly recommend the Ottolenghi books, which I also use in my daily work.

Finally, I will say learning some basic techniques will get you a long way. Learn how to make a classic Beurre Blanc and a béchamel sauce. From those recipes, you can make so many dishes.”