For five days only
This week, Copenhagen is going to be the most exciting place in global gastronomy.
From January 29 to February 2, more than 60 of the world’s best chefs will gather for Convergence, a five-day event that brings together restaurants from 26 countries across six continents. Every chef involved comes from a restaurant ranked within the Top 100 of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The scale alone is extraordinary. What makes Convergence truly compelling is what it is trying to do.
Hosted at Alchemist, Convergence is not a festival, a pop-up, or a collaboration menu in the usual sense. It is a rolling, high-energy programme where some of the most influential kitchens in the world take turns stepping into Alchemist’s space, each presenting their most defining dishes alongside Alchemist’s own menu.
Each night brings a new line-up. More than a dozen guest restaurants per evening. No repeats. No softening of identity. A dish from Lima might follow one from Copenhagen. Tokyo might sit next to Cape Town. Mumbai might come after Mexico City. The experience moves fast, intentionally so, allowing contrast to create momentum.
Behind Convergence is Chef Rasmus Munk, whose work at Alchemist has always pushed beyond the boundaries of what a restaurant can be. Known for combining food with art, science, technology, and social commentary, Alchemist has never been about isolated excellence. Convergence takes that thinking further, positioning the restaurant not as the main act, but as a platform.
This is where Alchemist’s wider ecosystem comes into play. Through Spora, its research and development space dedicated to food systems and interdisciplinary thinking, Alchemist has been building conversations that extend far beyond the dining room, into a network for ideas and innovation. Convergence becomes a live extension of that work, turning ideas into shared experience and dialogue.
The chef line-up reflects where global dining is right now. Restaurants such as Maido in Lima, Quintonil in Mexico City, Boragó in Santiago, Atomix in New York, and Le Calandre in Italy appear across the programme. Copenhagen’s own heavyweights, including Kadeau, Jordnær, and Koan, are firmly part of the mix, reinforcing the city’s role as a global food capital rather than a backdrop.
The Middle East and South Asia are notably present. Dubai’s Orfali Bros Bistro appears on opening night, signalling the region’s growing confidence and international relevance. From India, Masque brings its research-driven, ingredient-led approach, reinforcing how depth and discipline now sit at the heart of contemporary fine dining.
But Convergence is not limited to what happens on the plate.
Alongside the dinners, the event unfolds through a programme of talks, panels, and discussions designed to open up the conversation. Chefs, thinkers, producers, students, and the wider public are invited into dialogue around creativity, sustainability, food systems, and the role of gastronomy in society. This is where Convergence stretches beyond the reach of individual restaurants and becomes something collective.
Bars rotate throughout the week too, with acclaimed names from Barcelona, Copenhagen, Bogotá, Hong Kong, and London shaping the drinks programme. Each night feels distinct. The energy resets. The room evolves.
What Convergence ultimately offers is not a single statement, but a moment. A rare alignment of talent, curiosity, and intent. Fine dining has long mastered technique. What excites now is connection. Seeing how ideas move when chefs share space, time, and attention.
For Copenhagen, Convergence is a bold declaration. For chefs, it is an opportunity to exchange rather than compete. For diners, it is a once-in-a-lifetime snapshot of global excellence in motion.
Convergence is planned as an annual event, which makes this first edition feel like the opening chapter of something much larger.
For five winter nights, the centre of the culinary world will sit inside Alchemist. That is worth getting excited about.
Image credit: Supplied
Pallavi is a freelance food and travel writer who has explored more than 35 countries and dined at over 130 Michelin-starred restaurants. Born and raised in the UAE, she spent three decades witnessing Dubai’s transformation into a global culinary hub.
