In a world of constant motion, Danish chef and celebrated cookbook author Mikkel Karstad found his own rhythm – guided by the seasons, inspired by nature, and grounded in family life. At his summer home, an hour from Copenhagen, he reflects on a career that began with curiosity and grew into a lifelong dedication to craftsmanship, taste, and the joy of good ingredients.

Karstad's earliest memories of cooking trace back to his grandmother's home on the island of Ærø. "She had a big garden with vegetables, and my uncle brought home fresh fish and game," he recalls. "I was probably five or six, but already helping to clean fish and harvest carrots." Those early moments set the foundation for his deep respect for ingredients and nature's rhythm, values that continue to define his approach today.

At seventeen, Karstad stepped into his first professional kitchen. Youthful enthusiasm soon led him into some of the most prestigious restaurants in Copenhagen and London. "It was high-end, Michelin-starred, very intense," he says. "I loved the energy, the pressure, the quality. But it's hard to balance that life with a family." Returning to Denmark, he reconnected with the simplicity he'd learned as a child on Ærø – a way of working and living more in rhythm with nature. He remained dedicated to craft and quality, but with a balance that created space for life beyond the kitchen.

That shift led him to lead the kitchen at the Danish Parliament, cooking for over 1,200 people every day – a job he describes as "daytime work, but still full of responsibility and learning." There, he transformed the canteen into a place where local, seasonal ingredients set the tone – proving that high-quality, fresh food is possible even on a large scale. It was also a time of balance, where professional ambition and raising four children could thrive side by side.

Today, Karstad channels his two great passions – ingredients and inspiration – into storytelling through his cookbooks. His books celebrate ingredients individually and explore each through multiple recipes. "People often know one way to cook a vegetable," he explains. "If you buy five fennels in season, you should have five ways to cook them." His books are part guide and part philosophy. They invite readers to rediscover the everyday, regional vegetables and use seasonal ingredients. "With wild mushrooms, for example, the first day you might make a pasta; the next day, risotto – still with mushrooms as the main ingredient. Buying in season also helps reduce food waste."

Vegetables, for Karstad, aren't just ingredients; they're living expressions of time and place. "A carrot in May tastes completely different from a carrot in November," he says. "The same soil, but another season, it's incredible." That fascination keeps him exploring local farms and markets near his home, often dropping by small suppliers just to see what's new. It's also what connects him to the Nordic kitchen's core idea: cooking with what's around you.

Beyond professional kitchens and book pages, Karstad's philosophy lives most vividly in his family life. Whether making pizzas from scratch at the summer house or foraging for mushrooms in the nearby forest, food remains the family's shared language. "Cooking together is relaxing," he smiles. "Sometimes we talk a lot; sometimes it's quiet and everyone just knows what to do."

Looking back, he sees his journey not only as a career but as a legacy. The lessons from his grandmother now flow to his own children, teaching them to respect nature, understand food, and find joy in the kitchen. "It's important that young people can cook, that they know where food comes from," he says. "It's a gift you can pass on."

For Karstad, that gift is simple yet profound: to stay close to the earth, to the ingredients, and to one another. His cooking – rooted in seasonality – reminds us that food, at its best, is more than sustenance. It's connection, joy, and appreciation for nature's rhythm – and a reminder to preserve what matters.

Preserve what matters with BioFresh

Fruit & Vegetable-safe

We know that you have high expectations of your food. And so you should. Enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables from our Fruit & Vegetable safe, in which our engineers have combined high humidity with a temperature just above 0 °C using BioFresh technology. The result is a 0-degree compartment in the fridge that provides 100% freshness and 0% ice damage. It easily keeps lettuce fresh for up to 13 days and apples and kiwis for up to 80 days.

Meat & Dairy-safe

While fruit and vegetables prefer a humid climate, meat and dairy products keep longer in a drier environment with low temperatures. In the Meat & Dairy safe, they can be kept for even weeks or months. It's perfect for delicacies such as fine salami. Or treat yourself to a full-flavoured cheddar. You can make up a cheese platter whenever you want. That's because the longer it keeps fresh, the longer it stays delicious.

BioFresh Professional with HydroBreeze

Our HydroBreeze feature exemplifies our maximum food freshness standards: a cold mist covers fruit and vegetables like a protective balm in the BioFresh Professional safe. It ensures crisp freshness, improves the structure and allows even very fine-leafed vegetables to keep for an extra-long time. It also creates a visual "wow" effect in the BioFresh Professional safe.

BioFresh Professional with Fish & Seafood-safe

On your table as fresh as the moment it was caught – with the Fish & Seafood safe, fish and seafood stay fresh for extra long at a temperature of −2 °C and low humidity. Thanks to our innovative development, with BioFresh Professional we have solved the problem of sensitive food spoiling quickly. What this means for you: every day can be a culinary holiday with Mediterranean food straight from the sea. Say goodbye to everyday stress.

Experience appliances with BioFresh

See Liebherr appliances with BioFresh

*Food preservation claims are based on scientific studies that have been analysed and assessed by Liebherr's internal experts and verified by food preservation experts from the University of Applied Sciences Münster. Shelf-life data are based on ideal storage conditions and depend on correct, uninterrupted storage in the cold chain from harvest or producer to the BioFresh safe.