Eric Vildgaard is the Danish chef of Jordnær in Gentofte, just north of Copenhagen, one of only three restaurants in Denmark currently holding three Michelin stars. Vildgaard opened Jordnær in May 2017 with his wife Tina Kragh Vildgaard, and the restaurant has risen from a one-star opening in 2018 to three Michelin stars in 2024, retained in the 2025 Michelin Guide Nordic Countries.
Vildgaard’s path to fine dining is unusually direct: organised crime and gang life as a teenager, a transformative cooking job on a cruise ship for troubled youth, and training at Noma, Søllerød Kro and Almanak before opening his own restaurant. The Jordnær menu focuses almost entirely on seafood and vegetables, with an emphasis on langoustine, turbot, king crab and caviar from sustainable Nordic sources.
TL;DR
- Danish chef; former Noma chef de partie
- Co-founder of Jordnær in Gentofte with his wife Tina Kragh Vildgaard (opened May 2017)
- Three Michelin stars at Jordnær since 2024; retained in 2025
- Seafood-and-vegetable-focused tasting menu; no red meat on the menu since late 2018
- Known for a personal story of overcoming gang life and addiction before finding cooking
Eric Vildgaard key facts
| Full name | Eric Kragh Vildgaard |
| Nationality | Danish |
| Main restaurant | Jordnær, Gentofte Hotel, 10 km north of central Copenhagen (opened May 2017) |
| Michelin stars | Three at Jordnær since 2024 (first star 2018, second 2020) |
| Style | Seafood-and-vegetable tasting menu; Nordic with Japanese influences |
| Partner | Tina Kragh Vildgaard (co-owner, runs front of house) |
| Background | Stages at Noma, Søllerød Kro and Almanak before opening Jordnær |
Early life and training of Eric Vildgaard
Vildgaard grew up in Copenhagen under difficult circumstances, with an unstable home environment, poverty and early exposure to gang life. By his teens he was involved in organised crime and drug use. He has spoken openly about this period in interviews, including at Madrid Fusión and on the See See podcast, and has said that he might not have lived to see 30 if the trajectory had continued.
The turning point was a cooking job on a cruise ship working with troubled youth, where he discovered that a professional kitchen gave him structure, discipline and a creative outlet at the same time. He returned to Copenhagen determined to train seriously. His formative kitchens included Søllerød Kro (a long-running Michelin-starred restaurant outside Copenhagen), Almanak at the Standard, and critically a period at Noma, where he worked under René Redzepi as a chef de partie. His brother Torsten Vildgaard also worked at Noma for over a decade, and is now the executive chef at Björn Frantzén’s three-star FZN in Dubai.
The other formative relationship was with Tina Kragh, who became his wife and later business partner. Together they decided to open their own restaurant. They could not afford central Copenhagen rents, so they settled on the restaurant space inside the Gentofte Hotel about 9 kilometres north of the city centre. With no external investors and no savings, they sold personal belongings to buy plates, cutlery and glasses, and accepted conferences and receptions to pay the bills in the early months.
Eric Vildgaard career timeline
- Early career: Stages at Søllerød Kro, Almanak (the Standard, Copenhagen), and Noma under René Redzepi
- May 2017: Opens Jordnær with Tina Kragh Vildgaard at the Gentofte Hotel, north of Copenhagen
- February 2018: Jordnær awarded its first Michelin star, less than a year after opening
- Late 2018: Removes red meat from the tasting menu; shifts focus to seafood and vegetables
- 2020: Second Michelin star at Jordnær
- 2022: Guest appearance at Madrid Fusión, where he speaks publicly about his past
- 2024: Jordnær awarded its third Michelin star in the Michelin Guide Nordic Countries 2024 ceremony
- 2024: Named third-best chef in the world at The Best Chef Awards 2024
- 2025: Jordnær retains three Michelin stars; ranked 56th on the extended World’s 50 Best Restaurants list
- Present: Jordnær continues to operate a single seasonal tasting menu in Gentofte; the Vildgaards also oversee a farm with more than 100 sheep
Eric Vildgaard signature style: seafood and restraint
The most defining decision at Jordnær was the late-2018 removal of red meat from the tasting menu. Vildgaard has said in interviews that he felt underwhelmed by vacuum-packed muscle tissue compared with whole live seafood arriving the same day from coastal boats. The menu now runs roughly 20 courses built around langoustine, turbot, king crab, Danish shellfish, caviar and seasonal vegetables. Meat appears occasionally when the product is exceptional, but seafood is the structural centre.
The cooking draws on Vildgaard’s Noma training (foraging, fermentation, Nordic seasonality) but leaves out the theatrical aspects of New Nordic cuisine. Jordnær plates are precise and refined rather than dramatic. The kitchen makes heavy use of Japanese technique and Japanese respect for a single perfect ingredient, without dressing the food up as Japanese. Michelin inspectors have specifically praised Vildgaard’s restraint and his ability to alternate between complex and pared-back courses across a tasting menu.
Service at Jordnær is led by Tina Kragh Vildgaard and has received a Michelin Service Award recognising the warmth and lack of pretension. The dining room accommodates a relatively small number of guests per service, allowing both the kitchen and the floor team to give individual attention. Vildgaard has said explicitly that guests who have saved money for months to eat there should feel as welcome as regulars who come three or four times a week.
Notable dishes at Jordnær
Several Jordnær courses have become reference points in Copenhagen fine dining. The langoustine courses (often just-landed Norwegian langoustine with delicate seasonal garnishes) are the most talked-about single ingredient on the menu. King crab is another running signature, treated with extreme restraint so the product itself remains the star. Turbot and other flatfish arrive directly from sustainable coastal boats and are often cooked over fire. Caviar appears repeatedly across the menu in quantities and variations unusual even at three-star level. And the vegetable courses, often raw or near-raw, demonstrate the restaurant’s insistence that vegetables deserve the same technical attention as the most expensive seafood.
Eric Vildgaard awards and recognition
- 2018: First Michelin star at Jordnær, less than a year after opening
- 2020: Second Michelin star
- 2024: Third Michelin star at Jordnær (Michelin Guide Nordic Countries 2024)
- 2024: Ranked third-best chef in the world at The Best Chef Awards
- 2025: Jordnær retains three Michelin stars; ranked 56th on the extended World’s 50 Best Restaurants list
- Michelin Service Award for the Jordnær front-of-house team led by Tina Kragh Vildgaard
Eric Vildgaard impact on Copenhagen fine dining
Vildgaard’s main structural contribution is the demonstration that a third Michelin star in Copenhagen is achievable outside the Noma-centred New Nordic movement. When Jordnær reached three stars in 2024, Denmark’s three-star map consisted of Geranium, the closed (for regular service) Noma, and Jordnær. Jordnær’s more understated, ingredient-led approach, built around seafood and restraint rather than theatrical foraging, offered a different template for the top tier of Copenhagen dining.
His position within the current Copenhagen generation places him alongside Rasmus Munk at Alchemist, who represents the experiential-dining end of the Copenhagen spectrum, and Christian F. Puglisi, who worked in a similar post-Noma organic-ingredient direction at Relæ until it closed in 2020. Vildgaard has also remained part of the extended Noma-alumni network, alongside chefs like Jonathan Tam (JATAK) and Kristian Baumann (Juju) who have earned their own Michelin stars in Copenhagen after leaving Noma.
Vildgaard’s personal story has added a second dimension to his public profile. His openness about the gang background, the addiction, and the cooking-as-redemption narrative has made him a figure who speaks regularly at conferences like Madrid Fusión about the social function of professional kitchens. He has said that his long-term ambition is to work directly with young people from similar backgrounds, which he sees as the eventual purpose of the visibility that three stars provides.
Eric Vildgaard FAQ
How many Michelin stars does Jordnær have?
Three Michelin stars, awarded in the 2024 Michelin Guide Nordic Countries and retained in 2025. Jordnær earned its first star in 2018 (less than a year after opening) and its second in 2020.
Where is Jordnær?
Inside the renovated Gentofte Hotel in Gentofte, Denmark, about 10 kilometres north of central Copenhagen. The restaurant serves a single seasonal tasting menu and runs on a small number of covers per service.
Does Jordnær serve meat?
The menu is primarily seafood and vegetables. Vildgaard removed red meat from the regular tasting menu in late 2018 because he felt underwhelmed by vacuum-packed product compared with live seafood arriving the same day. Occasional meat courses appear when the product is genuinely exceptional.
Did Eric Vildgaard work at Noma?
Yes, as a chef de partie under René Redzepi. His brother Torsten Vildgaard also worked at Noma for over a decade and is now executive chef at Björn Frantzén’s three-star FZN in Dubai.
What does Jordnær mean?
“Down to earth” in Danish. Vildgaard has said the name is meant to describe a philosophy of grounding and humanity rather than a style of food: a restaurant where guests are treated as people rather than extras in a chef’s performance.
What is next for Eric Vildgaard
Vildgaard has been explicit that he has no ambition to expand Jordnær into a restaurant group. The current focus is on consolidating the three-star operation and on the family farm outside Copenhagen that now supplies some of the restaurant. His long-term personal project is to work with young people from similar backgrounds to his own. His public Instagram (@ericvildgaard) is the best source for current updates on Jordnær and his appearances.
