Mati Pichci, originally from Poland and now based in Copenhagen, transitioned from a background in political science and marketing to a culinary career. In May 2024, he opened Amator, a restaurant celebrating seasonal produce from Denmark and the South of Europe. His passion for food, initially shared through his Instagram account @matipichci, later flourished at renowned restaurants like Noma and Atelier September.
Last fall, you made lunch at "Møns Klint," one of the most beautiful places in Denmark. How is it cooking out in the wild?
It's one of my favorite things to be outdoors and cook. You just feel it straight away. It can be the simplest thing to do, but it just feels so nice to be outdoors, especially when it's sunny. So we made an event with Haglöfs. We brought them to Møns Klint, one of the more stunning places in Denmark, especially when the weather is right. And that day was very sunny, so the water was beautiful, but it was also very rough. It was windy, so we had a little bit of a challenge to set up the kitchen, but we made it, and it looked and worked well.
Do you have a fixed routine when cooking?
I would rather see a fixed style of cooking in what we do. We decided to focus our menu around a selection of omelettes and the rest needs to go well together with them as a flavorful and nutritious meal. Our goal is to keep it honest and clean. We follow the seasons with our menu through our beautiful seasonal side dishes based on the best produce we can get in a given season. We can have endless ideas for what to cook but gastronomy is about smart solutions.
That's the thing about simplicity and quality - you don't have to do a lot for it to stand out.
Exactly, we're also a small place, so we cannot have too complicated a preparation or service. So this is a simple place. That's why we came up with dishes like our saffron beans, which I believe are delicious. We found just the right beans, an old variety that we actually sourced with @kokkenhaven_kbh, across the street. So the dish is about the beans; that's why they need to be the best, and that's what makes it special. If we just put in any sort of beans, then I need to keep adding things to make it great.
Mati in our Origami Stripe Shirt, black/white
How do food and clothing function together in your world?
You need to feel comfortable. I wear a lot of linen in the summertime and wool in the wintertime; I like good natural materials. And, of course, it's nice to feel good in the clothes. Clothes also reflect your mood, so I was wearing a bit of different stuff in the summer, not only because of the temperature aspect but also because I can feel more funky. I think the type of food that I make, the simplicity of it, and what I like wearing kind of advocate for each other. It's just simple and timeless.
You seem to have a personal uniform—often a cap, a shirt, and glasses. How did that develop?
I've always liked caps since I was a kid. I am also bald now, so there is a totally practical aspect to them. I feel like the caps also set the mood; you know, I have different caps, and I bring them out at different times. When it comes to shirts, I think that men look good in a shirt. I could wear a T-shirt; I have a bunch of T-shirts, of course, and I love wearing those. But the shirt—it's classic and simply looks fresh. And the glasses, well, I need glasses to see, so they are not really a choice, ha ha.
Amator is described as a "Hjemme spisested" (red. home dining place). What do you do to make it feel homely?
Yeah, home was the inspiration for the space. So it's both my home and the home of the architect who helped us make it. Adam of @wiercinskistudio is a good friend of mine, our space has some resemblance to the details of the kitchen in his home. Before Amator opened, I often did small gatherings for my friends, and I kind of wanted to create a space where I could do it more often. This hospitality approach that I have for my friends also extends to anyone who enters Amator. It's a super straightforward, intimate space. Being in the kitchen, I can see everyone in the room; if they're missing something, we can approach them and double-check if everything is well.
At Amator, there is a lot of yellow—like the cutting boards and cabinets. What does that color mean to you?
It's a very yummy color, and it's funny how it has all been gradually added here. First of all, it represents the sun, and second of all, of course, the egg yolk. It started only as a small yellow dot at the end of "Amator," but then it grew to become our logo and became a recognizable avatar that stands out quite a bit.
What is your most memorable recent experience with cooking?
It was that lunch at Møns Klint because it was special to be on that beach that day. With the sun and wind, it was just something really special. As well as wearing good clothes, we had cool comfort in the elements. It was truly unforgettable.