Anthony Sarpong

Anthony Sarpong, Michelin-starred chef, book author and spirited host has had many challenges to overcome throughout his life.

Born in Kumasi / Ghana, he grew up in Wiesbaden and always knew what he wanted. He started his career initially as a professional footballer, but fate wanted it differently. A sports injury ended this dream and he briefly dreamed a new one, so as not to lose any time.

So he followed his second great passion, became a chef and traveled around the world on the trail of culinary secrets. He wanted more than the known, invented his own style of cuisine, which is now known as holistic NEW DINING. Creativity, vision, Prussian organizational talent and a top dedicated team brought Anthony's Kitchen 2018, in Meerbusch near Düsseldorf, the first Michelin star as evidence of lasting top quality.

Interview with
Anthony Sarpong

Why did you become a chef?

This was actually planned quite differently, but the great passion for cooking and the following enjoyment I got from the kitchen of my family directly in the cradle.

Then the path was very short and proved to be the right one.

What is the most beautiful thing about your job?

The high creativity and that people entrust their health and in the end their life to you is a serious fact that demands respect.

What does respect for food mean to you?

As the name suggests, they are means to life. This predicate alone includes using them in a goal-oriented way and keeping house, which should actually already be a basic part of training as a chef.

This also reflects the awareness that we use only resources that have experienced a deep and inherent respectability in the process of creation. This applies to all species, whether on land, water or air, because these elements are the foundations of our own existence.

Moreover, this also includes the tool that does not take away the dignity of the food when refining it by cutting it up, but carries it noticeably at palate level.

How important is sustainability in upscale cuisine?

Every cuisine should honor these aspects, not just high-end restaurants!

We at Anthony's therefore work in NEW DINING, which maintains a great passion for planetary conformity and follows this code of honor:

Happy people produce, serve and act together in respectful sustainable harmony with flora, fauna & planet for a good now and a secure future of following generations.

This is exactly what our guests appreciate, whether in the restaurant or in our developed

ÖKO-Gourmet boxes in sustainable packaging, which we ship throughout Europe.

Which Nesmuk knife is your favorite and why?

There can be no favorite at NESMUK because each knife stands alone and the collection simply offers different knives for individual uses.

You have to have them all, and then you also find that you use them all, just for completely different tasks....

What made Nesmuk knives different from other knives you've worked with before?

The brutal sharpness, the flexibility and the precise cutting pattern in optimal balance of the NESMUK. Unique!

Why are good tools (like Nesmuk knives) so important in your profession?

Nesmuk also reflects the standards we set for ourselves.

We take care of each other, are in a good mood and show respect to each other in the team, like our food to be processed and in the end to our guests.

This has been clearly perceived for years and has become our business card which creates trust.

What personal connection do you have to your cutting tool?

The name cutting tool is actually very inappropriate since NESMUK, even if it describes the type.

Is it a knife or a NESMUK, that is the question with us.

Cutting tools are also used by firefighters. Fortunately, NESMUK is a long way from that and may need a new design language language of form to grasp what is being created in the manufactory.

It may also be due to the fact that in the process of creation, the NESMUK delicacies are breathed a certain aura, like a soul, which extends the arm of the chef and becomes a part of him.

Therefore, a chef does not acquire a knife, but falls in love with the soul of the NESMUK.

What fascinates you about really good (Damascus) knives?

Damascus knives need a lot of care, like a life partner.

Then they give you joy and the certainty of always being there when you need them. If you internalize when looking at the high craftsmanship that traditionally leads to the creation process of damask to these unique pieces, I always get goose bumps.

What inspires you ?

My family, the people around me and the change of seasons, which gifts me with scents, flavors and new insights.

Where do you get your inspiration?

In the end, it is nature and its inexhaustible diversity that must be united in pleasures.

If this is perceived by the guest, it is possibly the secret of life that we reveal day after day.

This gives me the energy to experience all this with my team in deep gratitude.

anthony's kitchen

In Meerbusch, near Düsseldorf, Anthony Sarpong combines his culinary experience with the cultural influences of all nations represented in the house. With sustainable ingredients and pleasurable attentiveness, dishes from French, African and Arabic cuisine are created there. In a high-quality and pleasant atmosphere, guests are whisked away from their everyday stress.