Bjarke Jeppesen.

Chasing what is still missing

Bjarke Jeppesen has won most of what there is to win in Denmark and across Europe. Now his focus is on the World Championship and on becoming just a little better every time he steps into the kitchen.

It starts long before he enters the competition kitchen.

In the months leading up to the World Championship, the same movements are repeated. Flavors are refined. Elements are cut, reworked and built up from scratch. All with one goal: that everything falls perfectly into place when it matters. Because in a World Championship kitchen, even the smallest details are measured and judged.

“I am not a world champion yet. It would be a bit more fun to be able to say that I am.”

Bjarke Jeppesen has already won most titles at national and European level. Still, it is not the titles that drive him. It is the process, the development and the details. And the pursuit of becoming just a little better every time he steps into the kitchen even when no one is watching.

It started with a fish

His path into the culinary world did not begin in a kitchen, but by the water.

At 15, Bjarke Jeppesen attended a Danish folk high school with a fishing program. The students caught their own fish and were responsible for preparing them. The rule was simple: you could keep what you caught, if you cooked and ate it yourself. It sparked something.

“I loved the idea of catching your own fish but also cooking it and eating it.”

When he returned home, he had no doubt. He wanted to become a chef. Curiosity took over. And the joy of creating something meaningful for others.

“I think it is about giving people a great experience.”

Craft comes first

He trained at Hotel Hesselet in Nyborg. There were no shortcuts. No rushing.

Everything was made from scratch. Mayonnaise, remoulade, pickled herring. If it could be made in house, it was. It quickly became part of his approach to cooking.

“You do not buy something if you can make it yourself.”

That craftsmanship still defines him today. It shapes his style in the kitchen, where it is not just about taste, but about understanding the entire process from raw ingredient to finished dish.

But one thing remains constant. He is always searching for new ways to improve.

His style has evolved over time. Where the focus once was on meat and protein, vegetables now often take the lead not as a side, but as the starting point.

“It used to be the meat or the fish that mattered most. Today, it can just as easily be the carrot.”

He draws inspiration from others but insists on finding his own direction. In flavor. In presentation. In detail.

And it often starts with a simple question: what can this ingredient really do?

Not that kind of chef

For Bjarke Jeppesen, it is not only about the food, but also about the people he works with every day. As head chef at Restaurant Treetop in Vejle, a key part of his role is making a team function, even when the pace is high and the days are long.

He emphasizes responsibility and recognition. Setting high expectations, but in a way that brings everyone along.

“You have to make your team better. If people thrive, they perform better.”

That mindset is shaped by experience. He has worked in kitchens where the tone was very different.

“I have also been in kitchens where people were shouted at, where you were afraid to make mistakes. That is not the kind of chef I want to be.”

Instead, it is about building a team. A place where people support each other, speak up and take responsibility together.

Competition keeps me sharp

Competitions have been a constant throughout his career. Not just to win, but to grow.

“It keeps me sharp. You become faster, more efficient and you gain more tools.”

It is also where he pushes boundaries. New techniques. New combinations. New ways of working. Things that can make the difference when it really matters.

Right now, his focus is split.

First comes the Global Vegan Chefs Challenge in May. A world championship that has taken up most of his attention over the past six months.

“I do not think there has been a single day in the last six months where I have not thought about that competition. I am going there to win.”

Then comes another World Championship in November this time with the national culinary team.

“If we prepare well and everyone is fully committed, we have a chance.”

From winning to lifting others

Although Bjarke Jeppesen still competes at the highest level, something is shifting. It is no longer just about himself.

Today, it means just as much to see others succeed. To help develop them and send them forward.

“I can feel that it means more now when my team succeeds. When they win. I am almost prouder of that.”

He highlights, among others, his colleague Lukas Juhl Nielsen from Restaurant Treetop and the national team, who recently won Chef of the Year.

“It means more than my own victories. Because it is one of my guys doing it.”

It is also why he is beginning to see his role differently. Not necessarily as the one standing in the kitchen, but as someone who can contribute experience and help others improve.

“I would rather help make a whole team better than stand there myself.”

The ambition is still there. But the direction is shifting.

It comes at a cost

Ambition has its price. The preparation takes time. Many hours. Also, outside the kitchen. It affects time with family, friends and the quiet moments that might otherwise have been there.

“It is time. Time with my partner, my family and my friends. That is what I miss the most.”

At the same time, it has become a shared project at home. His partner plays an active role in competitions as team manager, handling everything around it so he can focus on the food.

“She takes care of everything else. So, I can focus on what I do best.”

The couple has also welcomed a young daughter and balancing it all requires planning. But the support is there.

“We are going there to win together.”

Because even though he is the one in the kitchen, he is far from alone. Behind him is a team of people family, colleagues and friends who help, test, taste and support him every step of the way.

At this level, there is no halfway.

“If you are not all in, you might as well not do it.”

He also knows it will not last forever. That at some point, his role will change. But first, there is something still to chase. The World Championship.