Esben Holmboe Bang was born and raised in Copenhagen to a family who placed great emphasis on sustainability and agriculture - a philosophy he carried with him even as he built his career in Oslo, the capital of Norway.
Today, much of the inspiration driving chef Esben's Maaemo restaurant comes from nature, with a focus on bringing out the natural flavour and quality of the raw ingredients he works with. It is this bold style of cooking that won the young chef a legion of fans, and an enviable stream of global recognition.
In 2012- just 14 months after opening - Maaemo was awarded two Michelin stars, becoming the first and only restaurant in the Nordics to go from a zero to two-star rating in the guide. In 2016, Maaemo was awarded its third Michelin star, making Esben the youngest chef and the first in Norway to front a restaurant holding Michelin's highest accolade.
He is also the third guest chef to feature in the Art at Curate series of guest chef dinners organised by Resorts World Sentosa with the support of Robert Parker Wine Advocate and the Michelin Guide Singapore.My first encounter with the Michelin Guide was when I was working as a chef apprentice in Denmark in the late 90's and one of the cooks told me about this restaurant guide that rated restaurants with stars. It was literally like listening to a fairytale about these places that at the time seemed far away and magical, with food I could only dream of eating and let alone be able to cook. These amazing restaurants in Denmark with a star and the unreachable multiple starred restaurants abroad became like an obsession to me.
I walked around Paris with the Michelin Guide as my map and tried to peek through the windows of those legendary three-starred-restaurants and it seemed like trespassing Holy Land trying to catch a glimpse of the Holy Grail. I only looked in as I did not have money to eat there. It was something unreachable and almost mythical. I was in awe.
The first time I won my first star was in 2012, when Maaemo went from zero to 2 stars in one go. It was a big surprise and changed my restaurant completely. We went from being this small, relatively unknown restaurant to a place that suddenly everybody wanted to visit. I was in shock.
But it fueled me with motivation to keep pushing, it was perfect catalyst for progression for everybody in our little restaurant. I had worked in restaurants defending a star, but this was under my own name and actually the first time I “worked” in 2 star restaurant. I was over the moon.
When we received our 3rd star in February 2016 I was completely blown away. It is by far without any comparison my biggest professional accolade. And it always will be.
The first thing I did when I realised we had won a star was go back into the kitchen and continue do what I love and what I want to do. I did my best to cook and make people happy. The Michelin Guide stands as the biggest influence of my professional career.
My advice for young chefs aiming for Michelin stars is to be honest and true in what you do. Don’t try and do something because others are doing it. Do what feels right for you and develop your personal cooking.
As the third guest chef of the ongoing Art at Curate dining series, Esben Holmboe Bang will present a series of 4-course lunches and 8-course dinners from 16 to 25 September 2016, marrying signature and original creations from Maaemo with highly rated wines handpicked by Robert Parker Wine Advocate's team of global wine critics.
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