Sunday, Nov. 17, 5 p.m.

Chef Mark Mogensen  is very excited to be branching out from Black Birch Restaurant to now also operate The Danish Place. Mark brings more than 30 years of cooking experience to The Danish Place and will be offering both traditional and modern Danish dishes. 

Mark received his chef training at George Brown College (after studying Chemistry at Waterloo University) and  along the way earned his Red Seal.  Since 2007, he has owned and operated Black Birch Restaurant in Mono, Ontario. Prior to that, his varied career has included cooking at tony Yorkville restaurants (even cooking for stars such as Marlon Brando and Matthew Broderick), as well as on a small cruise ship in northern Ontario, and at St. Anne’s Spa.

Born in Canada, Mark’s father is from Thorsager, Denmark near Aarhus, and his mother is of Ukrainian descent.  Mark’s grandparents immigrated from Denmark to Canada in 1948 on one of the earliest transatlantic commercial flights direct to Canada, settling first in Lucan near London, and then moving to Burlington. 

Mark and his large extended Danish family have been coming to Sunset Villa since the beginning, and many have been members for decades. The Mogensen and Bolt clan were well known for their picnic style lunches in the park on Constitution Day. Many joined them, including the Pastor from the Danish Lutheran Church in Toronto. Mark’s grandparents Henry and Petra Mogensen and his father Ebe are all laid to rest in the Mindepark, the urn cemetery adjacent to Sunset Villa.

Mark makes his own  rullepølse, as well as rye bread, and leverpostejis. He is really looking forward to  sharing his love of his Danish heritage and of Danish foods by providing other authentic Danish foods for everyone to enjoy!