Renowned Danish chef René Redzepi demonstrates an intense dedication to sourcing only the finest ingredients and elevating his craft of cooking to an art form. As a culinary maverick, Redzepi has redefined the boundaries of cooking and dining. His revolutionary methods can be experienced with a visit to Redzepi’s hometown of Copenhagen, Denmark and his world-renowned, three-Michelin-star restaurant Noma. His innovative approach continues to inspire chefs and food enthusiasts around the globe. You can catch him on The Apple TV + series Omnivore, which tells the stories behind the food we eat.
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For his Treat, Redzepi shares his sources of inspiration — which include daily reading and weeks-long hiking trips. He recounts his experience of hiking The Shikoku Pilgrimage trail, a tough 1,200-kilometer route in southern Japan that includes stops at 88 temples along the way. Despite frequently contemplating quitting the hike, the journey provided Redzepi with a profound spiritual experience. Marked by prayers at each temple, Redzepi experienced catharsis and was reminded that life is beautiful.
More: Around the world with Rene Redzepi (Good Food, 2019)
This segment has been edited and condensed for clarity.
What inspires me? Many things. First of all, I need to read every day to relax myself and also relax my brain. So I read quite a bit. I hike. Every year, I go on a hike between two weeks and five weeks.
The longest I've done is a hike in southern Japan, on the island of Shikoku. There is a 1,200-kilometer-long hike where you visit 88 temples, a Buddhist hike. I did that two years ago, it was mind-blowing, and it has inspired me so much.
It was so tough. There were many times when I wanted to quit. Many, many times. I mean, often ten times a day. But as I did it, as I finished it, [I] went through all these phases of [the] mind just wanting to give up and all sorts of things. But by the end of it, having visited 88 temples, you go to the Buddhist altar there. You close your eyes, and you think, and you give a prayer. I have been raised in a very different and strange household where my family are Muslims and I've been raised in Denmark. I don't see myself having any religion, but having a spiritual part of walking like that was incredible to me.
Each time I went up to the temple, closed my eyes, and waited for whatever came to my mind — gratefulness or fear or something in the past — it was such a cathartic experience. The thought in my mind when that hike was over was: ‘Life is beautiful.’