Jordnær: the restaurant “with the feet on the ground” that tells an authentic love story

Inside a small hotel in Gentofte, around 12 km north of Copenhagen, you can enjoy an experience that passes through the eyes and goes straight to the heart. The name of the restaurant is already a prelude of poetry that starts from a story that illustrates how far you can get if you put love in every single step of the way. 

And so Jordnær, which means “with the feet on the ground”, tells of the roots of a Nordic cuisine that surprises and charms in a unique way. A cuisine that touches us from within.

Jordnær is the mirror of two unique and authentic souls, charismatic 38-year-old chef Eric Vildgaard and wonderful wife and restaurant manager, maître and co-founder, Tina Kragh Vildgaard who also received the Michelin Nordic Welcome & Service Award: a magical pair united in marriage, as a family and in their culinary dream so that with their efforts they have become one of the realities of which people are talking with the strongest enthusiasm on the island of Sjælland in Denmark.

The experience at Jordnær starts even before arriving at the restaurant, with the email that Tina sends to confirm the booking and which makes you dive right away into a fantastic world: «You will now be part of our love story, a love story through which we will take you on a journey of flavours and we will introduce you to nature through the best products it can offer».

As Eric and Tina say, for Jordnær the meaning and the idea of culinary experience is about being close to nature, being humble in front of it, in every aspect. Culinary sustainability is crucial: from organic beetroot to sustainable caviar and seafood, wild herbs and fish just caught in the nearby lake of Arresø.

In his recipes, Eric Vildgaard combines Nordic cuisine with Japanese highlights: the former because he was trained to do so, and the latter because he loves this cuisine for its precision and passion for each ingredient.

The décor is minimal and in perfect Scandinavian style, but despite this, you can perceive from the very first moment the soul of a place and of the people who consider it as their home. Sparkling Tina welcomes guests with her huge smile and her gestures wrap any visitor with light and beauty.

The story of Eric was all but easy. Before getting his first two Michelin stars, the chef had been a gang member, a past of crime and drugs, but despite this, his inner strength, his determination and innate talent led him to find peace, calm and balance in the kitchen. At 13, after an episode of crime, he was punished and forced to acquire experience on a commercial ship on the coast of Denmark. Being incredibly bored, and without anything to do, he prepared a cake for the crew with the few ingredients he found. He received huge praise and for the first time, he felt he was appreciated and thought this would be the right road for him to take.

His opportunity in fine dining arrives when, with the support of his established brother Torsten, he gets an internship at Noma with René Redzepi. Here he immediately expresses his unique talent. After some experience outside Noma Eric meets Tina. Their story is the story of a large extended family with 6 children, love and lots of passion, determination and authenticity.

Less than 5 years ago they sold Tina’s diamond ring and Rolex watch to buy the plates and glasses for their dining room and start their adventure. All that they have conquered, they have done it themselves, centimetre after centimetre, day after day until they got the first star in 2017 only 9 months after opening, and the second in 2020. They are now 38^th in the World’s 50 Best.

At Jordnær man and cook become symbiotic, they mirror each other, give strength to one another and fertile space for endless creativity through a constantly-evolving language. The menu includes 18 courses with the possibility of adding a very interesting selection of wine pairings – we chose Because everything is better with Champagne which includes 7 champagnes from classic maisons and small unique producers.

Restaurant Jordnær Gentoftegade 29
2820 Gentofte
Denmark
M: + 45 22408020
info@restaurantjordnaer.dk 

Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso