Anita Klemensen

Anita Klemensen
Born	1977 North Jutland County, Denmark
Occupation	Chef
Known for	First Danish woman to receive a Michelin star

Anita Klemensen (born 1977) is a chef from Denmark who earned a Michelin star at her jointly owned restaurant, Den Røde Cottage, which specialized in New Nordic cuisine. She holds the distinction of being the first Danish woman to receive this honor. After operating the establishment for eight years, Klemensen closed it at the close of 2017; it later reopened in 2018 under different leadership.

Career

Klemensen was born in 1977 and grew up in North Jutland County. She developed her culinary skills through an apprenticeship at Søllerød Kro, training under pastry chef Markus Grigogav and head chef Casper Vedel.

In 2010, she launched Den Røde Cottage along with the café Den Gule Cottage, both situated in Cottageparken, approximately ten miles from Copenhagen. Before this venture, she held the position of head chef in central Copenhagen.

At Den Røde Cottage, Klemensen's focus was on New Nordic cuisine, utilizing ingredients sourced almost entirely from within Denmark. The restaurant’s wooded surroundings provided a variety of herbs during the warmer seasons. She offered a menu that changed with the seasons, including winter specialties such as Onions, Onions, Onions, which presented onions prepared in four distinct ways. Additionally, she partnered with British chef Rick Stein on foraging research contributing to his book Rick Stein's Long Weekends.

When Klemensen discovered she had been awarded a Michelin star in 2012—making her Denmark’s first female chef to achieve this—she was taken aback, having been aware of the inspectors’ visits but not anticipating the accolade.

Shortly before Christmas 2017, Klemensen decided to close both Den Røde Cottage and Den Gule Cottage to take a break from her professional commitments.