Food & Wine
From Buenos Aires via Noma to the RUG Bakery
Gonzalo Guarda from Argentina was on holiday in Copenhagen and ended up in the kitchen of the world's best restaurant. Now, he is the master baker at the RUG bakery, sharing secrets of what all Copenhageners are currently craving.
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- It's just bread, an ever-smiling Gonzalo attempts to convince us, while studying a piping hot loaf in his hands.
He breaks it apart, using his well-trained senses to confirm that yet another batch is perfect. For we know that it's not just bread. The Argentinean master baker is baking the bread that's most popular right now, trendy sourdough bread.
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From Argentina to Copenhagen
Gonzalo Guarda has experience from some of the best restaurants in the world.
From Buenos Aires to Copenhagen
Gonzalo originally hails from Buenos Aires but moved to Europe after completing his gastronomy studies. He worked at various restaurants but ended up in Copenhagen by chance during a holiday.
The Argentinean eventually landed a job at the world-famous Noma restaurant.
- I've always loved cooking. And I'm incredibly passionate about good ingredients and the processes behind what we make. Denmark and Copenhagen are exceptional when it comes to ingredients. When I got a job at Noma, I really got to delve into the essence and complexity of different ingredients and products. It was more than just being sustainable. It was a process, he explains.
Local food
RUGs sourdough bread is locally grown grain from a mill just a few miles outside of Copenhagen.
The Sourdough Bread All of Copenhagen Wants
But Gonzalo wasn't content with working at what's been named the world's best restaurant. He wanted to forge his own path and was strongly drawn to the fermentation process behind bread and sourdough. It stirred something in the charismatic Argentinean, who then embarked on a journey at Meyer's Bakery before moving on to other artisanal bakeries in the city. He wanted to learn from others and combine his learning with his own knowledge and enthusiasm for cooking.
We ask him what the secret is behind the perfect bread.
"Well, the secret is a combination of several things. It's sustainability, organic principles, ingredients, season, knowledge, traditions, and simply treating it 100 percent as a craft. Kneading the dough with your hands, seeing, tasting, finding the right ingredients, learning and developing it. In the end, you get something that tastes incredibly good," says Gonzalo.
The sourdough bread, made from a mixture of water fermented with wild yeast and bacteria, is now gracing virtually all bakeries, with immense success.
The RUG Bakery in Villa Copenhagen
The rest is history, as Gonzalo is now the master baker at RUG, conveniently located in the heart of Copenhagen at the signature Villa Copenhagen hotel.
In beautiful surroundings, it serves fantastic bread and other pastries that tempt everyone to spend hours in the bakery, simply because everything tastes so incredibly good.
- We make sourdough bread from locally grown grain from a mill just a few miles outside of Copenhagen. That's how sustainable it is. This is local food, Gonzalo chuckles.
He hopes to use the same passion and enthusiasm in his craft to create culinary treats for Copenhagen visitors for a long time to come. Never resting and always with a smile at the ready.
- We must dare to experiment with different flavour combinations and forms all the time. But also preserve old traditions. This is always a process. Because it's just bread, laughs the passionate master baker.
Tasty
At RUG, you are guaranteed to get the breakfast or lunch of your dreams.
Hotel
Book your stay in Copenhagen
Sleep above the bakery at Villa Copenhagen, or choose a design hotel in Vesterbro right next door.
Where to stay in Copenhagen: three hotels near RUG
RUG is inside Villa Copenhagen by Central Station, within walking distance of Tivoli, Vesterbro and the old town. These three hotels keep breakfast close.
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Villa Copenhagen
Villa Copenhagen: sleep above the bakery
The hotel in the old central post office by Central Station has a heated rooftop pool, and RUG is on the ground floor. It does not get more convenient if you want your sourdough straight from the oven.
Book the hotel: See available rooms at Villa Copenhagen
Absalon Hotel
Absalon Hotel: colour in Vesterbro
A colourful design hotel on Helgolandsgade, a couple of minutes from RUG and surrounded by the cafes and bars of Vesterbro.
Book the hotel: See available rooms at Absalon Hotel
Hotel Alexandra
Hotel Alexandra: Danish design by City Hall Square
A hotel full of mid century Danish furniture between City Hall Square and the lakes, with the old town and Strøget right outside.
Book the hotel: See available rooms at Hotel Alexandra
Frequently asked questions about RUG bakery in Copenhagen
Who is the baker behind RUG?
The head baker is Gonzalo Guarda, originally from Buenos Aires. He studied gastronomy, worked at Noma in Copenhagen and learned sourdough baking at Meyers Bageri and other artisan bakeries before becoming head baker at RUG.
What is RUG known for?
RUG is known for its sourdough bread, among the most sought-after in Copenhagen right now. According to Gonzalo, the secret is a combination of sustainability, great ingredients and respect for the fermentation process.
Why are the ingredients in Copenhagen so good?
Gonzalo believes Denmark and Copenhagen are in a class of their own when it comes to produce. His time at Noma taught him to understand ingredients and processes in depth, which he brings to his baking.
Where should I stay in Copenhagen to be near RUG?
RUG is inside Villa Copenhagen by Central Station, so the easiest option is to stay there. Absalon Hotel in Vesterbro and Hotel Alexandra by City Hall Square are also within walking distance.