Gastronomisk Institut Knudhule Badehotel

Dean Jespersen takes a seat at a table by the restaurant's bar, with a view of Knudhule Beach and Lake Knudsø. Ten years ago, it took a good deal of imagination to picture a seaside hotel right here. But the two friends had an unshakable belief in the project that no one could take from them. Their finances left little room to pick and choose, so the range of potential properties was extremely limited, Dean remembers:

- The youth hostel was quite simply what we could afford at the time. And it was, to put it mildly, in need of some tender loving care. The rooms had dark panelling, worn floors, flaking paint on the walls and old bunk beds. We couldn't afford professional tradesmen, so my co-owner Anders Kalstrup and I had to pull on our work clothes if the place was ever going to look like a seaside hotel. After about a month of toiling from morning to night, we were ready to throw open the doors to our new seaside hotel, says Dean Jespersen.

Although Anders and Dean could probably have impressed the teachers at a trade school, they were undoubtedly far richer in skill and experience in the culinary trade. Until they took the leap as seaside hotel owners, they had run the restaurant Gastronomisk Institut in Silkeborg for a number of years. The restaurant served simple, unfussy and flavourful food and swore by good service. Anders and Dean believed in the concept and hoped to win over the local community with the same recipe:

- People have taken really well to us from the very start. We want to be known for making lovely food that satisfies our guests. For instance, we have an older couple who visit the restaurant once a week. One day the husband suddenly tells me that if I can get hold of some black-footed pig, he and his wife will come with ten guests to visit us, says Dean Jespersen.

Although Dean has plenty to keep him busy, he wanted to make an effort to fulfil the couple's wish:

- It's very important to us to look after our guests and provide good service. I called around and got hold of a supplier who could source black-footed pig for us. We ended up making a small special dinner for the couple and their guests. I think they had a pleasant evening – they still come here, at any rate, says Dean with a small smile, as his gaze drifts out over the lake through the window.

From the very first day of opening ten years ago, Dean and Anders have gone to great lengths to give the seaside hotel's guests a special experience. They have led from the front themselves, but skilled employees have also helped make their mark. A good example is a young, talented woman named Sisse Pernille Busk, who steps into the dining room just at this moment. In her hand she carries a dessert that seems made to impress the senses:

- Here you get a dessert made for all of us who love chocolate. It consists of light chocolate cream, chocolate crumble, chocolate jelly with salt, dark tempered chocolate, blackcurrant jelly, wood sorrel and a scoop of Kastbergs chocolate ice cream. Enjoy, says Sisse Pernille Busk.

Sisse is not just Knudhule Badehotel's pastry chef. She also has the honour of representing Denmark at the World Championships with the national culinary team. At the hotel, she has a free hand to experiment with different flavour combinations and creations for the dessert menu:

- We are incredibly happy to have Sisse on the team. Her skills in the sweet kitchen are outstanding, and she has truly helped raise the gastronomic level and make Knudhule Badehotel an attractive place to visit, says Dean.

Sisse herself enjoys the freedom and trust Dean and Anders give her to explore the many facets of dessert cooking:

- It's a pleasure to work at Knudhule Badehotel because I get to play with flavours and explore new ideas. I'm incredibly happy to be part of a place with such high gastronomic ambitions and such dedication to quality, says Sisse Pernille Busk.

After 10 years, Knudhule Badehotel is a popular destination. Gastronomisk Institut often has to put up the full sign, overnight guests must book well in advance, and the calendar is filled with weddings, receptions and parties far into the future. There is therefore plenty for the staff to handle day to day, and that is why the two owners are conscious of their priorities:

- Delivering a consistently high gastronomic standard takes hard work and dedication. As a starting point, we make all our food from scratch. However, we do buy a few products, such as gourmet ice cream from Kastbergs, simply because the quality is so high that it makes no sense to spend time making it ourselves. Instead, we choose to put our energy where we can noticeably lift the flavour experience, concludes Dean Jespersen. Knudhule Badehotel is now ready to embark on a busy period of confirmations, weddings and christenings in Anders and Dean's 10th spring season at the seaside hotel in Ry