Rasmus Kofoed, the successful chef of the 3 Michelin-starred Geranium, announced the opening of his restaurant Geranium along with the same quality and additional health measures and its new plant-based restaurant Angelika, which brought into action with his business partner Søren Ledet.

Kofoed and Ledet, who voluntarily closed Geranium before the Danish government’s decision to close the restaurants in March, say “hello” to the sector with their new restaurant Angelika, along with their new understanding of service and health. With the government paying 75% of its employees’ salaries and an undisclosed portion of its rent, the chef said he had no fears about reopening his restaurant, adding that he was concerned about how he would move forward once he opened the restaurant. Kofoed, “That only happens until you’re open, then you’re on your own,” said about the government’s support. “I wondered how many guests will be in the restaurant because normally we are fully booked with tourists at that time.”

Thanks to the current configuration, the Geranium restaurant will adapt comfortably to the measures such as 1-meter distance between guests and cleaning protocols that the state has brought to restaurants, bars and cafes after the pandemic. But the most impressive presentation features of Geranium, such as cooking at the table or the sauce standing next to the table, will be removed by the measures introduced. Kofoed and Ledet, who built a private bathroom for employees, will carry out regular health checks on employees but employees will not wear masks. “I don’t want to go to a restaurant where they wear masks, because I’m there to feel relaxed and not be reminded of going to a pharmacy or a hospital,” Kofoed said, adding that he fully complied with the rules by explaining, “We’re following the restrictions of the government and they’re not saying we should.”

Kofoed and Ledet’s another plan for bringing customers back to restaurants is converting Inspiration Kitchen, which is on the same floor as Geranium, into a 30-seat plant-based restaurant, Angelika, the Robb Report said. The restaurant, which will be named after Kofoed’s mother, who is a vegetarian, will serve family-style dishes such as creamed butter beans with fried pumpkin seeds. Kofoed said: “I started a plant-based diet five months ago and it feels great. I was inspired to teach people to cook healthy, plant-based food at home, so that’s the mission with Angelika—but also to keep employees busy, otherwise, I have to let them go and I don’t want to do that. So I thought how can we keep them and get inspired and also inspire other people.”

Kofoed, who wanted to open a restaurant like Angelika for a long while, said he had been waiting for such a project for a long time, but never had time. “A virus can shut down everything around the world and you’re isolated and everything is taken away from you except nature and your family and that encourages you to live life to get the best out of it,” Kofoed said. “So I wanted to turn this time into something constructive and creative,” he said.