Chef Mads Refslund gets creative at W Koh Samui

Please share your passion about the ‘turning food waste into treasure’ concept.

It is a philosophy about not throwing things away. It’s not like I’m serving you garbage, but we get creative with the chosen food waste, turning it into quality cuisine. Did you know that in the US, 50 per cent of food is gone to waste? This is unheard of in my world and it’s wrong. The inspiration came when I was eating sushi in New York City. As I went through my omakase, I started to wonder what these sushi restaurants do with the leftover fish skins, so I began to source and to buy them from one of those places. That’s how it all started.

How do you plan to invade the world with Nordic cuisine?

(At my restaurant in New York) I am not cooking Nordic. I engage more on adapting to local styles and tastes, while being true to my roots. The concept we are starting in New York is fire and ice; just a fire pit and ice, at the bar. It’s hard to explain. You have to see it for yourself. I’m not trying to build a restaurant. Instead, I’m trying to build a kitchen that integrates into a restaurant. For instance, having a dining table inside the kitchen will give you a sincere feeling of the food that is being prepared for you. For me it’s about fun and interactivity. The energy will be amazing.