The Good Taste and Ingredients are Central
Kasper Hasse is the daily manager and head chef at Falsled Kro. He spends countless hours each week working to develop the inn and make it perform at its best. For him, the most important thing is that people’s expectations are met when they visit the inn – and preferably more than that.
“Falsled Kro is a place where people, of course, have high expectations, and we have to meet them – and hopefully surprise a bit more,” says Kasper Hasse.
Kasper Hasse was just over 20 years old when he completed his training as a chef, and he knows that, in many eyes, this was young.
“It was quick to jump into the industry, especially one known for being tough. But I was very focused on making it happen,” he says.
He points to the opportunity for personal development as one of the things he likes best.
“The industry is fantastic, and there’s really a chance for personal growth. If you like the jargon and flow, and don’t mind working at odd times, you quickly become a part of it,” he says.
Kasper Hasse has worked at Falsled Kro twice and was asked after a couple of years’ break about eight years ago if it wasn’t time to return to the inn as assistant head chef.
“Since then, I’ve become the head chef myself, and I love being part of the development at the inn, in respect for the inn’s long history,” he says.
Authenticity is particularly important to Kasper Hasse.
“It’s idyllic and quiet here, and it’s important we don’t try to be something we’re not. The ingredients, service, and overall experience are central,” he explains.
When people visit Falsled Kro – or generally go out to eat – Kasper Hasse hopes they embrace the entire experience.
“The best is when people sit back and grasp the whole experience they’re in. That people research where they’re going before booking a table, where and what the restaurant is. That they respect the people who make an effort to give their best. You have to assume that the place you’re in is doing what they’re best at,” he says.
This also provides the best experience throughout:
“The staff perform and deliver the best service because they’re in their familiar universe. They shouldn’t be put in situations where people, for example, want things that aren’t on the menu. Instead, you should sit back and relax in the environment that’s been set up for you,” says Kasper Hasse.
We Ask – Kasper Answers
Hear Kasper Hasse talk about his journey to Falsled Kro, his favorite dish, and the items he always has in his fridge at home.
Education?
I am a trained chef. I started my apprenticeship in August 2002 and finished nearly 4 years later. I was just under 20 years old, so it was definitely a bit early to jump into that industry, but I was certain that was the path for me.
Why did you become a chef?
I came from a boarding school, and afterwards, I had to figure out what was next and how to approach life. At that time, I wasn’t interested in going back to school, and I was quite focused on making something happen.
I have always spent a lot of time in the kitchen with my grandparents. My grandfather is a trained chef and has worked in large hotels. We’ve always had different food when we were with them for Sunday dinner. It was pot-roasted pigeons, sherry mousse, and sauces, which certainly didn’t taste like at home. It was definitely things we didn’t have at home, and that fascinated me.
I started culinary school and found out that cooking was great. It was easy to relate to. I liked the jargon and flow, and the irregular working hours certainly didn’t bother me. So, I went that route and started my apprenticeship at a large conference hotel.
How did you end up at Falsled Kro?
In 2008, I was working as a chef at a ski resort in France. I had a good friend from culinary school who said I should come to Denmark and do something more ‘decent’, and there was a position available at Falsled Kro, where he was. So, I went to Denmark, got a trial shift at the inn, and it went well. Afterwards, I returned to France.
About a week later, I was offered the job, and I came back and started as a chef. Later, I was promoted to sous chef.
Two and a half years later, my first daughter was born, and being a sous chef required a lot of hours, so I left the inn and went with the Lieffroy family to Nyborg to start their new restaurant, but it definitely didn’t result in fewer hours.
When I left the inn, something in me knew that someday I would come back and be involved with the inn in some format – I couldn’t let go of it.
I had very good contact with the then-head chef during the years I was away from the inn. And one day, he wrote that he thought I should come “home,” and I’ve been at the inn since.
What are your ambitions for Falsled Kro?
My ambitions are to have a really good workplace and that we can meet people’s expectations and more. That we deliver the fantastic overall experience I know we can.
The best thing when people go out to eat is that they feel safe. That they can sit back and embrace the experience they’re in.
I want to continue to deliver the good, safe experience that people can relate to and ensure that guests get the best from us. We are in a fantastic process where we are developing enormously. The garden is becoming a bigger part, we’re getting a new kitchen, and many other things are happening to raise the level of ambition.
What thoughts lie behind Falsled Kro and the menu?
It’s incredibly important for us to be true to the inn’s history and DNA. We also want to be true to the people who are at and around the inn and want to develop and embrace that. We don’t want to make food that isn’t us.
We have started to involve local people even more now. We have done it before, but more so now. We really want to support the people in South Funen and help them with their good products. Therefore, we have many local suppliers, and we are good at helping each other with the development of ingredients.
I really want there to be respect for the house. That we don’t do all sorts of things that aren’t us. The ingredients and service are central.
What’s your best memory from the kitchen?
There are many hours spent in the kitchen and at the inn. And you spend many hours with colleagues, so many good memories are created. Most often, it’s the reaction from guests when they receive something that touches them, and it’s, of course, satisfying for oneself when it succeeds.
Another big memory is when I was asked if I wanted to be the head chef.
There’s also something incredibly beautiful about walking in the large garden the inn has and picking things. And many times, thinking back on the seasons. For example, pulling up kale or leeks or tasting the first strawberries. You can really see and feel when different things sprout – it’s fantastic.
I also love when we arrange large events here at the inn – for example, “chef gatherings,” where chef profiles you look up to want to be part of an evening, and the response is overwhelmingly positive afterwards. It’s great to receive that praise.
Which dish do you most enjoy cooking?
It depends on the occasion. I have two kids and a wife at home, so that also affects the menu. When there’s time, I like to immerse myself in things and make dishes that are old school. It could be sailor’s stew, boiled cod with all the trimmings, or mock turtle soup. I like things that need to simmer and cook a bit, and which there’s not always time to make in everyday life.
Pasta dishes are, of course, always a hit. It’s simple and relatively easy, and always tastes fantastic.
What’s your show-off dish?
In my world, a good starting point is to have good ingredients. With that, you can go far, and you can make anything.
I really enjoy working with fish, shellfish, and mollusks combined with flavorful meats in the form of bacon, smoke, marrow, or fats.
I also love vegetable dishes and would prefer them cooked over an open fire. We try to make it a part of every menu. It gives some edge and DNA.
So it’s not a single dish, but rather making good food with fantastic ingredients and getting something good out of it. Making an effort to achieve a good result.
Which dish do you most often make in your own kitchen?
Sometimes it gets a bit mundane with a daily routine that has to function and with kids who need to do homework and go to handball and the like. So, there’s likely a lot of pasta dishes, soups, and rye bread sandwiches being made.
I spend a lot of time preparing food for the girls, so it’s easy to manage. I’m not home very often in the evenings, so I prepare meals in the morning. We always make a meal plan, so the family is very involved if there are any requests. Otherwise, I make it and do the shopping.
Do you have a favorite cuisine?
Definitely French cuisine. I was trained in the new, classic French approach, and I love the way the French kitchen is practiced. There is the approach and particularly the cultivation of some of their ingredients.
I love going to France, especially Brittany, and visiting the large food markets, just enjoying the aroma and the sight of the ingredients. It is close to my heart.
What’s your favorite dish?
I don’t have a single favorite dish, but I have a preference for food made with respect for what it is, and isn’t encrusted in things it shouldn’t be. A meal where effort has been made to make something proper and to season things well. So, it can be anything from red berry compote with cream to a whole roasted chicken.
What’s your favorite ingredient?
Every season has something wonderful to offer, so it’s very much season-based. I am probably most fond of autumn and winter when it comes to cooking at the inn. I think during that time you can afford to give your food more flavor, character, and depth. In summer, things need to be lighter and more accessible.
Autumn or winter at the inn are magical seasons. There are fires in the fireplaces, the wind howling outside, and the inn truly unfolding in the best way. There are things in season like game, intense root vegetables, cabbage, cod, and lobsters if we’re lucky – I love that.
One thing you always have in the fridge at home?
There’s always some form of good cheese. Aged parmesan, blue cheese, or a comté, for example.
I eat cheese with most things – in food and on food. Cheese provides fat to dishes and gives character and flavor.
Describe your last, best dining experience out?
Fortunately, there are many. I often think back to an experience I had at restaurant Clou with Jonathan Berntsen at the helm. Unfortunately, it has closed, but Jonathan has fortunately opened a new restaurant – The Samuel – in Hellerup.
It was truly a magical evening with ingredients from the top quality shelf and a very beautiful execution.
Do you have a favorite restaurant?
There certainly isn’t just one. Fortunately, there are many fantastic places in Denmark! And that helps to raise the standard in Denmark.
I can, for example, mention Søllerød Kro, Kong Hans, Henne Kirkeby Kro, Molskroen, Lieffroy, Jordnær – and of course ourselves. These are restaurants that are very classic in their approach. But there are incredibly many good ones and not enough space to mention them all.
Treetop in Vejle is also a good suggestion. It’s a young man named Nicolaj Møller who is the chef, and he’s running it exceptionally well. I’m sure he’ll go far and that a lot of good things will happen for him.
Which appliance/equipment is your favorite?
A knife! I’m most in favor of viewing your ingredients as they are and not wrapping them up. An ingredient is what it is.
Of course, ingredients need to be prepared, and you can do many things to develop them, but you don’t need to destroy them.
Therefore, I have a strained relationship with kitchen gadgets invented to do funny things to ingredients, often vegetables. Machines made to cut them in a certain way and into strange shapes to get the general public to see them and buy more of them. Both the ingredient and the machine. It doesn’t work for me.
If you could only have 6 pieces of equipment to cook with, what would they be?
I can immediately go far with a pot and a knife. I could almost manage with just those. If I have to pick more, it would be a pan, an oven, and maybe a blender on top. Just to get a bit of action. Then I can pretty much make most things.
Is there something people almost always do wrong in the kitchen that needs to stop now?
I work many hours myself, so I don’t often visit others. I greatly appreciate when people invite and have put energy into cooking. People who carelessly approach a cooking task and don’t care about the product can be a bit annoying.
But for the most part, I believe people do what they can. It depends on how things are put together and what people’s abilities are in a kitchen.
Facts
Name: Kasper Hasse
Age: 35 years
Residence: South Funen
Job: Head chef and director at Falsled Kro
Find Kasper Hasse on Instagram under @kasper_hasse and Falsled Kro under @falsledkro
The photo at the top of the article is taken by Claus Smed.