Claus Meyer changed the eating habits of a nation and became a multimillionaire along the way. The Danish chef, restaurateur and entrepreneur wanted to establish his approach to food and hospitality in New York City. The endeavour was more challenging than he would ever have expected. After being awarded a total of three Michelin Stars and having launched a widely acclaimed nonprofit food school in the Brownsville, Brooklyn, he is now back in the country where he belongs and with the company he founded, ever so eager to change things and freer than ever to do so.

How do you describe Claus Meyer?

It starts with food. And cooking. There’s something about chocolate. Apples. Bread. About striving to change not only the eating habits of himself and his family, but also those of an entire nation, and have success. His life story cannot be told without also considering the millions of meals that he and his teams have cooked for people across his native Denmark and the entire globe.

At 19-years-old, the French baker and confectioner Guy Sverzut, who became a mentor for Meyer, showed him that the meaning of life is to discover the beauty of food. Meyer found his mission, and he has tirelessly fought for greater awareness about food, produce and hospitality ever since.

He is a former TV chef and co-founder/co-owner of the world’s best restaurant Noma. His Melting Pot Foundation has operated food schools in Danish prison and established the educational projects Gustu and Manqa in Bolivia and Brownsville Community Culinary Center in Brooklyn New York. He is a household name in his native Denmark, and his love for sourdough has elevated bread baking to both an art form and an affair for the many. He has hosted Apple Flower Festivals, curated green coffee, ensured that his roast pork sandwiches are must-eat at festivals, opened our eyes to the possibilities of chocolate, and so much more.

He went to explore life as a restaurateur in New York, but the adventure did not live up to his own expectations and he decided to disinvest himself and return to Denmark with his family. There have been ups and downs, but numbers don’t lie: In 2014, he sold his life’s work—Meyers Køkken, Meyers Deli, Meyers Bageri, Meyers Kantine and Meyerfood—to a British venture capital fund for an amount that meant that he never had to work another day in his life.

But Claus Meyer is still hungry.

He has been extremely good at producing ideas, surrounding himself with the right people, and being at the right place at the right time. Most recently, he developed “The World’s Best Drive”. A catered drive-in bio experience in direct response to COVID-19 social distancing requirements. A concept he followed up later in the summer with “The Worlds Best Picnic”. Once more for Meyer it’s about creating the right concept, about engaging people and telling the right story at the right time.

When we meet Claus Meyer in the garden of his private home in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, it’s the end of May. The sun is shining. Chickens cluck and cackle around us. The garden is in bloom. Even though we are in the city center, it feels like the countryside. Herbs, flowers, potatoes and a greenhouse—nature is all around us and Claus Meyer is in his element. Rarely in an office, but always thinking about how food and community can change things for the better. But how’s work, actually?

You are currently enrolled with Headlight and have been through a few sessions so far. How’s it going?

“Correct, I’m enrolled in a coaching course with Headlight. We talk a lot about responsibility.”

What is responsibility to you?

“It’s about taking care of myself and asking others for the resources I need to be able to do my work in the best possible way. It’s about me not taking on too big a responsibility in everything I do, and thereby forgetting to look after myself. When I’ve been challenged in my life, it has always been because I’ve forgot to ask for resources and tried to fix everything on my own, forgetting to consider the risk and what could happen if things went wrong. I’m not that risk averse. But I’ve learned to be become better at looking after myself.”

When talking to Claus Meyer, you sense that he’s at the end of a long period of transition. He came back from New York a few years ago, and really just recently landed on his feet again.

“I went to New York, where I tried to start a number of projects in a market I didn’t know, with a business partner I’d completely misjudged. His motives, his incentives, his values and his preparedness. In Denmark, I was closer to people. I understood the landscape, the market, and the competitive environment. I had just sold my company, and in a moment of inflated ego, I was fascinated by the challenge of moving my entire family to New York, believe that once more I could be playing it by ear.”

What happened? You had lots of stuff going on, The Great Northern Foodhall, the Michelin starred restaurant Agern, the restaurant Noma, and charities in Brownsville.

“Lots of things happened. From the outside it was tremendous success. Aska won two Michelin Stars after four months. Agern one Michelin star after six months. Great Northern Food Hall had one entire page in New York Times with the words Culinary Nirvana in the headline. Our bread was called out as the best in the city. Our achievements with the people in Brownsville (through the Melting Pot Foundation) remains a small wonder to me. Many chefs go to New York, work for a week, and then go back home as if they added a star to their personal brand. I wanted to make an impression, bring in the fireworks. No one should question that I had come with the intention to become part of the fabric of the city.”

How long did you stay?

“The idea was to stay two years, but we ended up staying three. My family was thriving but already one year into it I had to deal with missing funds, absurd legal issues, complicated landmark obstacles, and just semi-corrupt procedures everywhere I went. It felt like a massive burden I had to carry around from the moment I woke up every single day. For the first time in a very long time I had been unable to surround myself with the right support team. I felt like a boxer who’d gone 17 rounds with Joe Frazier in his glory days, and who still had another 100 rounds in front of him.”

And, after the three years, you came home. How did you land?

“I struggled a bit to find my place. It was a no man’s land for me, where I felt unnecessary in a way. No one really needed me. I started to doubt who I was, what my job in life was, even if I still had something to contribute.”

But you had to get up again. What did you do?

“I wasn’t really interested in dialogue with other people. But I knew that, if I got up and out every day, the day would come where I again would find meaning. I had no strategy. I was basically just riding my bike around without a plan, hoping that love would find me.”

What got you back on track?

“Gospel. Gospel music. I listened to it when I rode my bike, and it gave me the most sensational feeling. I became very grateful for the world that I live in, and for other people that I live with. By chance, I had also been asked to give a speech in Roskilde Domkirke around that time. I had also read an article about hospitality as the hallmark of humanity, and everything sort of came together. It resonated deeply within me.”

Claus Meyer has now, once again, entered the business he sold and left years back. Today he’s in a new and different part time role. He now calls himself the editor-in-chief of the company. His job is to constantly drive the process of living the company’s purpose and gathering the right people around him to develop its presence. Drive innovation, new partnerships, product development, no administration. Only focusing on what he’s good at and what he loves to spend time on. With a venture fund as majority owner, and Claus Meyer owing 15% of the company, there’s a new way of negotiating your ideas and projects.

“But I guess that’s actually ok,” he argues. “If you are not able to explain an idea so other people can understand it, it might not be that good.”

Does your current situation in the company allow you to look after yourself and practice the various aspects of responsibility you discuss with Erik?

“It’s close to an ideal situation for me, though, I should probably add a few people around me, but I have a great eye for resources and for sleeping potentials. So, I just pick and choose between people and departments when I get an idea, and then delegate and follow up on the execution with the formal leader. The perfect situation for me would be a small team of 2-3 people around me to plan and execute more structured attacks on the world around us.

So, there’s still a way to go?

“I’m the editor-in-chief and should only be overseeing things. But, too often, I have to go too deep to get things right. I’m good at delegating, but I know that I’m unmatched when it comes to narratives and food. Instead of demanding resources and having lengthy discussions about why this or that is important, I’d rather just go straight at it. And this of course is not ideal in the long run”

But why are you still working like there is no tomorrow? Why do you, at age 56, want to be coached by Erik and develop your professional skills even more? Why don’t you just take it easy and peacefully enjoy your chickens here in the garden?

“I think it’s extremely fun and energizing to make moves. There’s an exceptional satisfaction in feeling joy and excitement internally in the company when you are able to organize your colleagues in communities— and, at the same time, building a stronger and financially healthier company. It’s an extremely attractive role for me. It’s like playing football with Michael Laudrup every day. .”

You sense that the level of innovation around Claus Meyer is higher than ever. There’s a constant flow of ideas that materialize. Things happen. If not playing tennis or cooking, he’s always at work, but work is so fun and creative it feels like leisure. And, when he goes to work, people automatically follow.

Is it easy for you to engage people? It seems like the entire organization is built around your passion for food and produce.

“The current management acknowledges that my ability to create excitement within the organization is crucial for the core business, and that hasn’t always been the case. I see opportunities, and I want to make the world a more beautiful place. I want the journey to be fun, low-risk, and inexpensive to take part in. It’s hard to find people and collaborators who are not interested in taking part in that.

You are an entrepreneur by heart and also pay very close attention to detail. But, from the outside, it looks like so many things are happening in the Meyer business that it must be impossible for you to be everywhere?

“What do you mean?”

You can’t possibly be involved in everything from idea to execution in all projects?

“Most new ideas grow around me. I’m deeply involved in every decision about what kind of experience we want to give people. Who are we working with? What’s the setup? What does it taste like? How does it look and feel? There are tons of matters to be considered. My role as an entrepreneur is to contribute where I make a difference and then find my way out, so people who are much better at executing in detail take over. We’ve never had the opportunity to spend millions on marketing or advertising, so we’ve always been forced to develop ideas with great narratives that would make the rounds, in spite of no marketing budget. But in a way you are right. There are certain parts of the core business where I currently have to leave things as is, even though here and there I can see a need for a brush up”

You are known for having lots and lots of ideas and, of course, not all of them are successful ones. I once heard a keynote you gave where you stated that only 25% of the projects you launch are successful. Is that true?

“I might have been in a dark place,” he laughs. “But, within the last six months, I guess it’s closer to two-thirds. But people who are good at something also have to succeed two out of three times. A dart player shouldn’t miss every third throw. And it’s not like I am taking crazy chances all the time”

Who has been the most important person in your work life?

“There are a number of people that I’ve leaned on. But, when Tage Nielsen entered the business in 2007, we had an annual turnover of 400 mill. DKK—and made minus 2 mill DKK in profit when he arrived. When he left 6 years later, we earned almost 30 mill DKK per year with a just moderately improved revenue. He brought with him an incredible knowledge about people, and he was able to focus on leadership at a time where I had my eyes anywhere else. The things I did well came to shine all of a sudden because they’d previously been overshadowed by my terrible decisions as a CEO. He played a major role when the company rapidly increased in value. The same can be said about Merete Holst who arrived as a CEO of the canteen branch almost at the same time as Tage arrived. She and I also complemented each other extremely well”

What do you take away from projects that don’t succeed?

“I have to give myself that I’m good at getting back up. I don’t sit at home analyzing what went wrong. I’m good at reconciling, and I don’t waste time hating other people. I just hope they feel fine later on in their lives.”

Do you ever consider your legacy?

“I tell my kids that you have to live your live in the light of eternity. Make something that you are proud of and want to share with your children. Most of my decisions are very long-term, and I sometimes do think about how the kids will think about their dad in the future. I hope, that even though I could have spent more time with them, that I will have been a light in their lives”

And lastly…what’s your favorite product?

“The apple. There is tremendous potential with the apple and its fruitiness and acidity. Fifteen to twenty years ago, you only used apples in cooking for apple porridge or as a baked apple at Christmas. The apple cider vinegar is a small miracle. I wonder why no one saw the potential in it before I did. It can change the way that a soup or a sauce taste. It’s a symbol of everything I’ve ever wanted to achieve. I want to do the same with pork and potatoes. I just haven’t had the time yet. So far, it’s only been bread, chocolate, and apples.”

Be it apples, bread, chocolate, pork, potatoes, or a product that has yet to be discovered and incorporated into our kitchens and way of thinking about what we eat: Claus Meyer’s appetite for change remains unmatched.

Claus Meyer is a Headlight alumni, with a constant urge to change his work life for the better. If you want to know what Headlight can do for you and your work life, never hesitate to get in touch. We want to see people prosper and commit themselves to their professional development. We’re right here behind you to help you achieve your goals.

The first session is on us. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

Take me to Headlight

Claus Meyer changed the eating habits of a nation and became a multimillionaire along the way. The Danish chef, restaurateur and entrepreneur wanted to establish his approach to food and hospitality in New York City. The endeavour was more challenging than he would ever have expected. After being awarded a total of 3 Michelin Stars and having launched a widely acclaimed nonprofit food school in the Brownsville, Brooklyn, he is now back in the country where he belongs and with the company he founded, ever so eager to change things and freer than ever to do so.

How do you describe Claus Meyer?

It starts with food. And cooking. There’s something about chocolate. Apples. Bread. About striving to change not only the eating habits of himself and his family, but also those of an entire nation, and have success. His life story cannot be told without also considering the millions of meals that he and his teams have cooked for people across his native Denmark and the entire globe.

At 19-years-old, the French baker and confectioner Guy Sverzut, who became a mentor for Meyer, showed him that the meaning of life is to discover the beauty of food. Meyer found his mission, and he has tirelessly fought for greater awareness about food, produce and hospitality ever since.

He is a former TV chef and co-founder/co-owner of the world’s best restaurant Noma. His Melting Pot Foundation has operated food schools in Danish prison and established the educational projects Gustu and Manqa in Bolivia and Brownsville Community Culinary Center in Brooklyn New York. He is a household name in his native Denmark, and his love for sourdough has elevated bread baking to both an art form and an affair for the many. He has hosted Apple Flower Festivals, curated green coffee, ensured that his roast pork sandwiches are must-eat at festivals, opened our eyes to the possibilities of chocolate, and so much more.

He went to explore life as a restaurateur in New York, but the adventure did not live up to his own expectations and he decided to disinvest himself and return to Denmark with his family. There have been ups and downs, but numbers don’t lie: In 2014, he sold his life’s work—Meyers Køkken, Meyers Deli, Meyers Bageri, Meyers Kantine and Meyerfood—to a British venture capital fund for an amount that meant that he never had to work another day in his life.

But Claus Meyer is still hungry.

“It’s about taking care of myself and asking others for the resources I need to be able to do my work in the best possible way.”

– Claus Meyer

He has been extremely good at producing ideas, surrounding himself with the right people, and being at the right place at the right time. Most recently, he developed “The World’s Best Drive”. A catered drive-in bio experience in direct response to COVID-19 social distancing requirements. A concept he followed up later in the summer with “The Worlds Best Picnic”. Once more for Meyer it’s about creating the right concept, about engaging people and telling the right story at the right time.

When we meet Claus Meyer in the garden of his private home in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, it’s the end of May. The sun is shining. Chickens cluck and cackle around us. The garden is in bloom. Even though we are in the city center, it feels like the countryside. Herbs, flowers, potatoes and a greenhouse—nature is all around us and Claus Meyer is in his element. Rarely in an office, but always thinking about how food and community can change things for the better. But how’s work, actually?

You are currently enrolled with Headlight and have been through a few sessions so far. How’s it going?

“Correct, I’m enrolled in a coaching course with Headlight. We talk a lot about responsibility.”

What is responsibility to you?

“It’s about taking care of myself and asking others for the resources I need to be able to do my work in the best possible way. It’s about me not taking on too big a responsibility in everything I do, and thereby forgetting to look after myself. When I’ve been challenged in my life, it has always been because I’ve forgot to ask for resources and tried to fix everything on my own, forgetting to consider the risk and what could happen if things went wrong. I’m not that risk averse. But I’ve learned to be become better at looking after myself.”

When talking to Claus Meyer, you sense that he’s at the end of a long period of transition. He came back from New York a few years ago, and really just recently landed on his feet again.

“I went to New York, where I tried to start a number of projects in a market I didn’t know, with a business partner I’d completely misjudged. His motives, his incentives, his values and his preparedness. In Denmark, I was closer to people. I understood the landscape, the market, and the competitive environment. I had just sold my company, and in a moment of inflated ego, I was fascinated by the challenge of moving my entire family to New York, believe that once more I could be playing it by ear.”

What happened? You had lots of stuff going on, The Great Northern Foodhall, the Michelin starred restaurant Agern, the restaurant Noma, and charities in Brownsville.

“Lots of things happened. From the outside it was tremendous success. Aska won two Michelin Stars after 4 months. Agern 1 Michelin star after 6 months. Great Northern Food Hall had one entire page in New York Times with the words Culinary Nirvana in the headline. Our bread was called out as the best in the city. Our achievements with the people in Brownsville (through the Melting Pot Foundation) remains a small wonder to me. Many chefs go to New York, work for a week, and then go back home as if they added a star to their personal brand. I wanted to make an impression, bring in the fireworks. No one should question that I had come with the intention to become part of the fabric of the city.”

How long did you stay?

“The idea was to stay two years, but we ended up staying three. My family was thriving but already one year into it I had to deal with missing funds, absurd legal issues, complicated landmark obstacles, and just semi-corrupt procedures everywhere I went. It felt like a massive burden I had to carry around from the moment I woke up every single day. For the first time in a very long time I had been unable to surround myself with the right support team. I felt like a boxer who’d gone 17 rounds with Joe Frazier in his glory days, and who still had another 100 rounds in front of him.”

And, after the three years, you came home. How did you land?

“I struggled a bit to find my place. It was a no man’s land for me, where I felt unnecessary in a way. No one really needed me. I started to doubt who I was, what my job in life was, even if I still had something to contribute.”

But you had to get up again. What did you do?

“I wasn’t really interested in dialogue with other people. But I knew that, if I got up and out every day, the day would come where I again would find meaning. I had no strategy. I was basically just riding my bike around without a plan, hoping that love would find me.”

What got you back on track?

“Gospel. Gospel music. I listened to it when I rode my bike, and it gave me the most sensational feeling. I became very grateful for the world that I live in, and for other people that I live with. By chance, I had also been asked to give a speech in Roskilde Domkirke around that time. I had also read an article about hospitality as the hallmark of humanity, and everything sort of came together. It resonated deeply within me.”

Claus Meyer has now, once again, entered the business he sold and left years back. Today he’s in a new and different part time role. He now calls himself the editor-in-chief of the company. His job is to constantly drive the process of living the company’s purpose and gathering the right people around him to develop its presence. Drive innovation, new partnerships, product development, no administration. Only focusing on what he’s good at and what he loves to spend time on. With a venture fund as majority owner, and Claus Meyer owing 15% of the company, there’s a new way of negotiating your ideas and projects.

“But I guess that’s actually ok,” he argues. “If you are not able to explain an idea so other people can understand it, it might not be that good.”

Does your current situation in the company allow you to look after yourself and practice the various aspects of responsibility you discuss with Erik?

“It’s close to an ideal situation for me, though, I should probably add a few people around me, but I have a great eye for resources and for sleeping potentials. So, I just pick and choose between people and departments when I get an idea, and then delegate and follow up on the execution with the formal leader. The perfect situation for me would be a small team of 2-3 people around me to plan and execute more structured attacks on the world around us.

So, there’s still a way to go?

“I’m the editor-in-chief and should only be overseeing things. But, too often, I have to go too deep to get things right. I’m good at delegating, but I know that I’m unmatched when it comes to narratives and food. Instead of demanding resources and having lengthy discussions about why this or that is important, I’d rather just go straight at it. And this of course is not ideal in the long run”

But why are you still working like there is no tomorrow? Why do you, at age 56, want to be coached by Erik and develop your professional skills even more? Why don’t you just take it easy and peacefully enjoy your chickens here in the garden?

“I think it’s extremely fun and energizing to make moves. There’s an exceptional satisfaction in feeling joy and excitement internally in the company when you are able to organize your colleagues in communities— and, at the same time, building a stronger and financially healthier company. It’s an extremely attractive role for me. It’s like playing football with Michael Laudrup every day. .”

You sense that the level of innovation around Claus Meyer is higher than ever. There’s a constant flow of ideas that materialize. Things happen. If not playing tennis or cooking, he’s always at work, but work is so fun and creative it feels like leisure. And, when he goes to work, people automatically follow.

Is it easy for you to engage people? It seems like the entire organization is built around your passion for food and produce.

“The current management acknowledges that my ability to create excitement within the organization is crucial for the core business, and that hasn’t always been the case. I see opportunities, and I want to make the world a more beautiful place. I want the journey to be fun, low-risk, and inexpensive to take part in. It’s hard to find people and collaborators who are not interested in taking part in that.

You are an entrepreneur by heart and also pay very close attention to detail. But, from the outside, it looks like so many things are happening in the Meyer business that it must be impossible for you to be everywhere?

“What do you mean?”

You can’t possibly be involved in everything from idea to execution in all projects?

“Most new ideas grow around me. I’m deeply involved in every decision about what kind of experience we want to give people. Who are we working with? What’s the setup? What does it taste like? How does it look and feel? There are tons of matters to be considered. My role as an entrepreneur is to contribute where I make a difference and then find my way out, so people who are much better at executing in detail take over. We’ve never had the opportunity to spend millions on marketing or advertising, so we’ve always been forced to develop ideas with great narratives that would make the rounds, in spite of no marketing budget. But in a way you are right. There are certain parts of the core business where I currently have to leave things as is, even though here and there I can see a need for a brush up”

You are known for having lots and lots of ideas and, of course, not all of them are successful ones. I once heard a keynote you gave where you stated that only 25% of the projects you launch are successful. Is that true?

“I might have been in a dark place,” he laughs. “But, within the last six months, I guess it’s closer to two-thirds. But people who are good at something also have to succeed two out of three times. A dart player shouldn’t miss every third throw. And it’s not like I am taking crazy chances all the time”

Who has been the most important person in your work life?

“There are a number of people that I’ve leaned on. But, when Tage Nielsen entered the business in 2007, we had an annual turnover of 400 mill. DKK—and made minus 2 mill DKK in profit when he arrived. When he left 6 years later, we earned almost 30 mill DKK per year with a just moderately improved revenue. He brought with him an incredible knowledge about people, and he was able to focus on leadership at a time where I had my eyes anywhere else. The things I did well came to shine all of a sudden because they’d previously been overshadowed by my terrible decisions as a CEO. He played a major role when the company rapidly increased in value. The same can be said about Merete Holst who arrived as a CEO of the canteen branch almost at the same time as Tage arrived. She and I also complemented each other extremely well”

What do you take away from projects that don’t succeed?

“I have to give myself that I’m good at getting back up. I don’t sit at home analyzing what went wrong. I’m good at reconciling, and I don’t waste time hating other people. I just hope they feel fine later on in their lives.”

Do you ever consider your legacy?

“I tell my kids that you have to live your live in the light of eternity. Make something that you are proud of and want to share with your children. Most of my decisions are very long-term, and I sometimes do think about how the kids will think about their dad in the future. I hope, that even though I could have spent more time with them, that I will have been a light in their lives”

And lastly…what’s your favorite product?

“The apple. There is tremendous potential with the apple and its fruitiness and acidity. Fifteen to twenty years ago, you only used apples in cooking for apple porridge or as a baked apple at Christmas. The apple cider vinegar is a small miracle. I wonder why no one saw the potential in it before I did. It can change the way that a soup or a sauce taste. It’s a symbol of everything I’ve ever wanted to achieve. I want to do the same with pork and potatoes. I just haven’t had the time yet. So far, it’s only been bread, chocolate, and apples.”

Be it apples, bread, chocolate, pork, potatoes, or a product that has yet to be discovered and incorporated into our kitchens and way of thinking about what we eat: Claus Meyer’s appetite for change remains unmatched.

Headlight Journal is published by Headlight. We deeply want to change people’s approach to work forever, and we’re eager to connect with like minded think-doers who have decided that there’s room for improvement. If you want to know how Headlight can play a role in your working life, do not hesitate to get in touch.

Take me to Headlight