Claus Meyer is a Danish chef, food entrepreneur and one of the driving forces behind the New Nordic Cuisine movement that transformed Scandinavian cooking. As the co-founder of Noma and the initiator of the New Nordic Food Manifesto, he helped put Copenhagen at the centre of the culinary world, and has built an unusually broad career spanning restaurants, bakeries, television, food production and social projects.
More visionary and entrepreneur than traditional restaurant chef, Meyer has used food as a tool for cultural change, regional identity and social good across Denmark and beyond.
TL;DR
- Danish chef and food entrepreneur, born 27 December 1963 in Nykobing Falster
- Co-founded the restaurant Noma with Rene Redzepi in 2003
- Initiator of the 2004 New Nordic Food Manifesto
- Founder of the Meyers group of bakeries, delis and food businesses
- Founder of the Melting Pot Foundation, using food for social change
Claus Meyer key facts
| Born | 27 December 1963, Nykobing Falster, Denmark |
| Nationality | Danish |
| Known for | Co-founding Noma; New Nordic Cuisine |
| Businesses | Meyers bakeries, delis and food companies |
| Foundation | Melting Pot Foundation |
Noma and the New Nordic movement
In 2003 Meyer and chef Rene Redzepi opened Noma – the name a contraction of “Nordisk Mad”, or Nordic Food – in a former warehouse in Copenhagen. The restaurant went on to earn three Michelin stars and be repeatedly voted the best in the world, and it became the flagship of a wider revolution. In 2004, on Meyer’s initiative, twelve Nordic chefs drew up the New Nordic Food Manifesto, a set of principles championing local, seasonal, regional ingredients and sustainable production. Meyer is widely credited as the philosophical founder of the movement it launched.
An entrepreneur across food
Beyond Noma, Meyer has built one of Denmark’s most far-reaching food businesses. Under the Meyers name he runs bakeries, delis, catering, a cooking school, and ventures ranging from vinegar and chocolate to a coffee roastery and orchards. He has also taken the New Nordic idea abroad, opening food halls and restaurants internationally, and hosting Danish and international television cooking shows over several decades.
Food as social change
A defining strand of Meyer’s work is his belief in food as a force for social good. Through the Melting Pot Foundation he has launched projects using cooking and training to create opportunity – from a restaurant and school in Bolivia to culinary training programmes for underserved communities. This mission-driven approach, as much as the restaurants themselves, defines his legacy.
Signature style
Meyer’s “style” is less a single cuisine than a philosophy: celebrate Nordic ingredients, seasons and traditions; make them the basis of world-class food; and use gastronomy to strengthen culture, health and community. That vision reshaped how Denmark – and much of the world – thinks about regional cooking.
Claus Meyer in context
Meyer is a central figure of Danish and Nordic gastronomy, most closely linked to Rene Redzepi at Noma, and part of the same Copenhagen movement as chefs like Rasmus Kofoed.
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Claus Meyer FAQ
Who is Claus Meyer?
A Danish chef and food entrepreneur, co-founder of Noma and a founder of the New Nordic Cuisine movement.
Did he found Noma?
Yes – he co-founded Noma with chef Rene Redzepi in 2003.
What is the New Nordic Food Manifesto?
A 2004 statement of principles for local, seasonal, sustainable Nordic cooking, initiated by Meyer.
What is the Meyers group?
His food business of bakeries, delis, catering and related companies in Denmark.
What is the Melting Pot Foundation?
His non-profit using food and culinary training to drive social change.
