Located in a charming old merchant’s house on Ærø, Restaurant Mumm offers plenty of ambiance inside and out. Couples from all over the world get married on the small island of Ærø, and with its authentic charm Restaurant Mumm is a popular venue to celebrate the big day.
An island romance Travel journalists might use the term ‘hidden gem’ a little too frequently, but when describing Restaurant Mumm it is just too apt to avoid. Located on the small Danish island of Ærø, the charming restaurant, which has no website but rave reviews on TripAdvisor, has defied the odds by becoming such a success that even the local owners admit to being in awe. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Restaurant Mumm
Located in a charming old merchant’s house in Ærøskøbing, Ærø’s main town of around 900 inhabitants, Restaurant Mumm is saturated by authentic island romance. But the restaurant is not just known for its pretty setting, but also its delicious food and heartfelt atmosphere – despite the fact that guests will find neither a high-profile chef nor a savvy hospitality manager behind the 32 | Issue 97 | February 2017
yellow-brick walls. Rather, they will be met by 51-year-old Peder Vilhelm Sørensen, a former carpenter turned kitchen chef, and 52-year-old Pia Fuglsang, a philosopher turned hostess. The local couple admits to being a little humbled by the success of their venture, which recently expanded from a seasonal to an all-year operation. “Yes, honestly, at times we are a bit surprised
and humbled by the great response. The secret is that we don’t have a secret. It might be noteworthy that neither of us is a professional chef and that we don’t even employ one. It’s not something we advertise, but it isn’t something we apologise for either. We get up every day thinking about how we can improve and get better, seek inspiration and develop new recipes,” says Fuglsang.
All or nothing Peder Vilhelm Sørensen, who grew up on Ærø, had owned and run Restaurant Mumm alone for about eight years when, in 2012, he met Fuglsang. The then philosophy student had taken a job at his restaurant to support her studies in Odense.