The 28-year-old chef, Julian Elkjær, claimed victory at Denmark’s most prestigious culinary competition with an Asian-inspired mackerel dish and a standout sausage roll.
Bornholm's prestigious Sol over Gudhjem cooking competition has crowned 28-year-old Julian Elkjær as its 2026 champion.
Competing against some of Denmark's most accomplished chefs – including defending champion Allan Schultz, Jeppe Foldager, and Magnus Pettersson – Elkjær impressed the jury with a menu that combined classical craftsmanship with contemporary Nordic flavors and Asian influences.
“I feel so relieved now,” said Elkjær after the victory. “All the work and everything my team put in to help me finish the job – it's amazing.”
Held on the harbor in Gudhjem on the island of Bornholm, Sol over Gudhjem has established itself as Denmark's leading culinary competition and the country's largest gastronomic festival. Organized since 2009, the event attracts more than 20,000 food lovers, tourists, journalists, and industry professionals from around the world each year.
This year's mystery box ingredients, revealed only moments before the competition began, included mackerel, Danish warm-water prawns from Nexø, and organic butter.
“The mackerel was what I had planned around because it tastes absolutely incredible,” Elkjær said. “Then I got those prawns, and I stood there looking out at the water thinking, ‘Right, what do we do now?’”
Initially considering a heavier bouillabaisse-style preparation, he opted instead for a lighter approach centered around a butter-based element.
“I wanted something more elegant,” he explained. “In the end, I think the flavors worked really well with the mackerel.”
The resulting first course featured mackerel from Fiskerikajen alongside Biofloc warm-water prawns from Nexø, served with a NamGin dressing, confit prawns, an organic butter roll, and a julienne salad of summer greens, chili, and spring onions.
It was the main course, however, that became the competition's defining moment.
Elkjær's technically ambitious sausage roll combined dry-aged Bornholm pork neck, Sødam chicken, chicken hearts, bacon from Hallegård in Østermarie, and morel mushrooms. The dish was accompanied by grilled pork neck marinated with nashi pear, mirin, soy sauce, and yuzu kosho, alongside rich sauces built on veal, chicken stock, spare ribs, dates, apples, and black rice vinegar.
“I was actually ahead of schedule, and that almost made me nervous,” Elkjær said with a laugh. “But getting off to a good start created calm in the kitchen and allowed everything else to fall into place.”
The puff pastry centerpiece also presented its own challenge.
“Creating the puff pastry was difficult because of the heat,” he said. “But having everything prepared beforehand gave me so much more time to focus on the rest of the dish.”
The effort paid off.
“People told me it was the best sausage roll they had ever tasted, which is absolutely crazy to hear,” Elkjær said. “A lot of that comes from the classic craftsmanship I've learned over the years and from the people around me who keep pushing me to improve.”
The jury with Kenneth Toft-Hansen, Rasmus Munk, Nicolai Nørregaard and Anika Madsen shared the enthusiasm. Kenneth Toft-Hansen of Svinkløv Badehotel described the dish as “a breath of fresh air,” while Alchemist founder Rasmus Munk praised both the technical execution and the way Asian flavors are increasingly influencing modern Nordic cuisine.
Although Elkjær remained tight-lipped about his future plans, he confirmed that returning to restaurant life is a priority.
“I need to get back into a restaurant as soon as possible to do what I love,” he said. “And hopefully serve some puff pastry to everyone again.”
He hinted that exciting projects are on the horizon.
“Part of my ambition is to work with really talented people. That's what drives me every day. It will be exciting to continue developing and hopefully share what we do with even more people.”
After one and a half years of preparation, Elkjær reserved special thanks for the people who helped make the victory possible.
“Without the support, the ingredients, and everything that happens behind the scenes, it wouldn't be possible to perform at this level,” he said. “I'm enormously proud and deeply grateful.”
