On Saturday at Sol over Gudhjem, Compass Group’s canteen at Alfa Development won the Canteen Award 2024. This prestigious award is given to a canteen that meets future requirements for a sustainable kitchen, focusing on organic ingredients and flavor – a challenging feat to accomplish.
There were strong emotions as Sine Andersen, Head Chef, and Lena Steffie Clausen, Sous Chef, from Compass Group’s canteen at Alfa Development, received the recognition as Denmark’s best canteen, winning the Canteen Award 2024. As they put it, “We think a lot about our work.”
High standards for variation and sustainability
Running a canteen places significant demands on the kitchen staff, who must serve a varied and healthy meal every day while also meeting expectations for sustainability in all aspects of their operations. This focus is vital for the winning canteen:
“We excel at communicating sustainability, focusing on food waste, and circular workflows. Many canteens, like us, are good at collaborating with local producers and suppliers, but I believe where we stand out is in communicating our sustainability initiatives,” says Sine Andersen, Head Chef from Compass Group at Alfa Development.
Judged by star chefs and industry experts
From the judges’ panel at Sol over Gudhjem, star chef Francis Cardenau, who was part of the judging panel, commented on the nominees for the Canteen Award:
“Itâs incredibly exciting to see that canteens are really advanced in gastronomy! I have enormous respect for the skilled professionals working in canteens, who cook for many more people than we do in the restaurant industry. The nominees for the Canteen Award had immense respect for the ingredients and delivered fantastic, modern, and Scandinavian-inspired dishes.”
The responsibility of canteens
In the past, the focus has been on the chef competition at Sol over Gudhjem, but as canteens play such a significant role, the Canteen Award has gained prominence.
The Canteen Award celebrates food professionals and culinary talents in canteens across the country who lead the way in serving and rethinking meals to meet the demands for inspiring more sustainable dining options.
Competition facts:
The competition took place at Sol over Gudhjem on Saturday, June 22.
The judges at the Cook-Off included:
- Anne Bruun Jessen (Nordlandet)
- Francis Cardenau (Cardenau)
- Jeppe Foldager (Dragsholm Castle)
- Thomas Pasfall (Pasfall)
The points awarded at the Cook-Off accounted for only 20% of the total score, and when all points were tallied, it was clear that Head Chef Sine Andersen & team were the winners.
Although the Cook-Off was the highlight, the Canteen Award had been scrutinized by the expert jury in the weeks leading up to the competition. All nominees received unannounced visits from the expert jury, consisting of industry professionals, where the overall canteen experience was evaluated.
The expert jury:
- Stefan Hansen, 2023 Canteen Award Winner, Head Chef, Gorrissen Federspiel
- Lise Søkilde Gantriis, Culinary Lead, Arla Pro DK
- Mark GuldbĂŚk Ăstergaard, National Account Manager, Danish Crown / Friland
- Lars Verner Christensen, CEO, Gasa Nord Grønt
- Anders Nicolajsen, Chief Consultant, Landbrug & Fødevarer