Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Denmark
Restaurant of the Month, Denmark
Food with a view Karens Køkken (Karen’s Kitchen) is situated in Ebeltoft just 50 kilometres east of Aarhus in the breathtaking Mols Bjerge National Park. The restaurant has fantastic views of the sea as well as the famous naval ship Fregatten Jylland; so sit down, relax and enjoy the mouth-watering food that Karen and her husband John make. By Josefine Older Steffensen | Photos: Karens Køkken
It all started whilst Karen Kjærgaard was studying to become a teacher, when she and her friend decided to earn money through cooking for others. They were very popular and after a few years they both went their separate ways. Karen continued to cook, while working as a teacher and taking care of three kids at the time. “It’s hard work keeping it all going, so at one point I had to decide whether it was teaching or cooking that I was going to continue with and cooking won,” says Karen. The family came onboard and when they took over the restaurant in 94 | Issue 91 | August 2016
Ebeltoft a few years ago, they made it their own.
Hard work pays off “There are now four kids and all of them come back each summer to help out. This is kind of where the family meets now. It’s a bit untraditional but we make it work,” Karen explains, whilst trimming tenderloin for the evening menu. “It’s a lot of hard work and my husband and I are always the first to arrive and the last to leave but it’s all part of the lifestyle.” The couple is extremely busy. In the summer the restaurant can seat 300
people and is open from brunch to dinner. “About 150 people turn up to brunch every weekend, so that’s a very busy time for us and we’re actually open for brunch every day in the summer because it’s so popular.”
Events and food out of the house As well as seating numerous guests at the restaurant, you can also order food out of the house for events. The events range from celebrations to corporate events and the menus are created uniquely for each event. “We bring the food, along with a chef, which is usually John, so we ensure that as much as possible is made on the spot,” explains Karen. The restaurant can also be rented out for small and big parties. “We frequently have people celebrating their birthdays and anniversaries here. For the bigger events, we close the restaurants so that