Princess Marie officially opens Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival

Yesterday, Princess Marie officially opened the Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival in Copenhagen.

This year’s edition marks the third year of the new CCFF. Indeed, this new version of the festival was created in 2016 when the original festival ‘Copenhagen Cooking’ decided to collaborate with the Food Organization of Denmark. Since Marie was Patron of Copenhagen Cooking since 2012, she became a Patron of the CCFF. This is the seventh time she visited the Festival (2011, 2012, 2014,2015,2016,2017).

The festival aims to promote Nordic gastronomy, especially Denmark’s. Around 100.000 visitors participate each year according to the festival. Princess Marie’s growing involvement with the festival makes sense since one of her main causes is fighting against food waste and promoting healthy cooking as well as Nordic gastronomy.

More about the CCFF: “Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival is an annual event which celebrates the culinary culture of Copenhagen as well as the whole of Denmark as a great food country. The festival is for everyone who loves food and hosts more than 100 unique events over 10 days at the end of August. Our official theme, ‘Breaking the New’, signals that the festival offers unique and different dining experiences and showcases the latest food trends. Every year some 80,000 festival-goers attend to celebrate Nordic cuisine, seasonal produce, and other great culinary experiences.”

Princess Marie made a speech at the event.

“Many thanks for the invitation to participate in the opening of the Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival. As a Patron, I’m pleased this evening to declare the festival open.

I would like to thank Business Minister Rasmus Jarlov and Environment and Food Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen for their support.

I am pleased that the Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival this year has focused on the UN World Goal 12 on food waste, which is a matter that is very important to me personally.

I had the pleasure of promoting the fight against food waste myself with some amazing children in my own home back in January.

There I, together with chef Timm Vladimir,  and the food savvy activist Selina Juul made a whole menu of surplus food together with 10 talented and dedicated children, all of whom had been a trip to the Arla Fund MadLejr.
So out of big beetroot, old bread, crushed potatoes and carrot stuff, we created a lunch, which we all had, including my own two children, to eat.

Worldwide, one-third of all food is wasted.

The waste takes place both on the ground, in production and in households.

Global food waste amounts to 1.3 billion tonnes a year and is enough to feed 3 billion people!

So it’s incredibly important that we get better and more aware of what we’re throwing out.
Every Dane throws almost 50 kg of edible food out a year. And that’s too much.
But fortunately, most Danes have now become more aware that it is both expensive for the money and for the environment.
And there are many good initiatives and organizations that will help solve the problem.
I hope that, as Danes, we can work towards the goal of the World Goal; namely a halving of the food waste in 2030.

And now we are here, ready for this year’s program. With over 100 unique events and industry activities in front of us. Over 10 days filled with delicious food, exciting discussions, and new experiences.

All of you who stand here have contributed in one way or another to this year’s festival. I would like to thank you for that. I hope that you will enjoy the evening in this beautiful setting, and not least enjoy the dinner that will be a taste of what the Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival will offer.

Welcome – and enjoy your meal!”

After the speeches, the guests were invited to go out on the roof’s terraces to enjoy dinner.

You can see a video here.

Princess Marie wore her teal leopard print shirt dress from Charlotte Sparre. She first wore this dress back in 2016.

She paired this dress with her black Carlend Copenhagen croc clutch and black patent leather pumps. I haven’t seen a good photo of them so I can’t say whether they are new or not. She also wore her Christine Hvelplund ring, reportedly a gift from Prince Joachim.