It is not often that people let go when they are the leader at the top or they own a business. But for Danish chef Bo Bech, who is renowned in Copenhagen for his cooking, his bread-baking and his charisma, that seemed to be the only option. Having decided to close his Michelin star restaurant because he did not like the direction that the fine dining scene was taking, he decided to open the restaurant Geist in Copenhagen in 2011 to replace Paustian. Last year, he again made a drastic change, this time walking away from the restaurant and deciding to manage it from a distance. Here is someone who is not afraid of change. Today Bo lives in New York and travels frequently and has delegated the management of the restaurant to his team though he is of course still very much informed of what is going on in the restaurant. When he decided to let go he realised that he had become the bottleneck. "People would call to ask me if I was going to be at the restaurant. They wanted me to be … [Read more...]
Filip Claeys: Activist chef shows that where there is a will there is a way
We have heard many times how difficult it is for chefs to be activists and to raise awareness around certain issues. After all, the impact can be limited if you just practice what you preach in your restaurant. But then there are chefs who become activists, who create movements and who start to slowly change the system despite the odds that are heavily stacked against them. Habits are extremely difficult to change but each one of us has the power to change these habits if we work enough on them. Belgian chef Filip Claeys of Brugge two Michelin star restaurant De Jonkman and founder of North Sea Chefs is someone who believes in taking action particularly when its a subject that is close at heart. You could easily say that his mantra is 'where there is a will there is a way'. He did this at a cost. He lost 30 per cent of his customers when he started to introduce humble fish in his menu. But it was a fight he was willing to take on. Nearly 10 years ago, he founded North Sea Chefs … [Read more...]
The importance of human relations takes centre stage at first W Food Festival
Behind every restaurant success or every artisan there is great produce but there is also the human element which is exceptionally important. This was the underlying message of the first ever W Food Festival congress that took place in the historic citadel of Namur. The festival, organised by Generation W, a collective of chefs and artisans from the Belgian region of Wallonia had been dreaming of organising such a festival for the past two years. That dream culminated in a successful weekend where people could meet the chefs and artisans of Generation W on the grounds of the Citadel. On Monday 3 July, it was the turn of professionals in the field to attend a congress which brought to the fore the importance of management, of bringing the best out of people, of communicating and of letting go if you want to grow your business. Filip Claeys, the first speaker at the event, chef of Restaurant De Jonkman and founder of North Sea Chefs spoke about the need to educate customers … [Read more...]
Mélanie Englebin to close restaurant Cecila in August as she looks for restaurant with larger kitchen
Mélanie Englebin, the chef of Brussels restaurant Cecila has decided to close her restaurant at the end of August. The young chef who was awarded the Gault & Millau 2017 Young chef of the year for Brussels explained that there were various reasons for the closure of this restaurant. " It is true that the pedestrianisation of the Brussels centre has made it difficult for a gastronomic restaurant to do well in central Brussels but this is not the only reason why I have decided to close Cecila." "In the four years since I have opened Cecila, my cuisine has evolved and I know exactly what I want. I need a restaurant with a larger kitchen, with a bigger dining room in a house that has character like at Cecila. I also need a terrace or garden," she said. Leaving the current location will enable the young chef to create the restaurant of her dreams enabling her to continue her road to cook with great produce and discovering new perfumes and flavour combinations. Just before she … [Read more...]
Belgian Blenders: bringing Belgian coffee roasters to the fore
Ine Vanheyste, founder and CEO of Belgian Blenders is on a mission to introduce Belgian coffee and its roasters to the world and bring them to the fore. Italy may be world famous for its coffee and its coffee culture but few people know that the Antwerp harbour in Belgium is store to the world' largest coffee warehouses in the world with the capacity to store 350,000 tonnes of coffee beans in over a million square metres of space. Out of this international trade from Antwerp, over many years, small Belgian coffee roasters have emerged using an artisanal method and low temperatures to roast the coffee beans and make high quality coffee known by coffee lovers. Building on the knowledge of her father who has been working in the sugar business and who knew many of Belgium's top coffee roasters, Belgian Blenders have selected coffee from 7 Belgian coffee roasters to offer a range of 14 different coffees. The seven artisanal coffee roasters of Belgian Blenders each ensure an … [Read more...]
Christophe Hardiquest fulfills dream to cook without pressure and constraints this summer
Christophe Hardiquest, chef of two Michelin star restaurant Bon Bon is fulfilling his dream of opening a bistro this summer albeit for just two months. He is opening Mon Bistro d'été by Christophe Hardiquest in the old Chez Marie restaurant in the Flagey area of Brussels. The restaurant had been closed for over two years. "A bistro is something fun. It is a great opportunity to work with new suppliers and produce new recipes away from the constraints and expectations of a fine dining restaurant. We don't want to raise expectations though we will use high quality products but differently. My aim is to work with new products which I am not accustomed to use at Bon Bon," the Belgian chef told Food and Wine Gazette in an interview. The chef has decided to open this pop-up restaurant instead of going for a two-month vacation while the restaurant kitchen of Bon Bon is completely refurbished in July and August. The new Bon Bon kitchen, which welcomed 19 chefs from across the whole of … [Read more...]
Bon Bon’s Christophe Hardiquest to open summer bistro in Brussels
Christophe Hardiquest, two Michelin star chef of the highly regarded Brussels restaurant Bon Bon is realising his dream of opening a bistro even if this will only be for two months. Having decided to close his two Michelin star restaurant in July and August to modernise and refurbish the kitchen completely, Christophe together with his wife Stephanie have decided to take over Chez Marie, a restaurant that has been closed for over two years in the area of Flagey in Brussels. The bistro, called Mon Bistro d'été by Christophe Hardiquest will be serving classics away from the constraints of fine dining restaurants though you can expect a very high quality given that he will be moving together with his team and will be at the helm of the bistro for the two months. This is part of his Brussels project which started last year with a reflection on how to interpret Brussels and Belgian classics. In an interview with Food and Wine Gazette last year, Christophe had said that "it is also … [Read more...]
Brussels restaurant L’Idiot du Village serves last meal
Brussels restaurant L'Idiot du Village, a Brussels institution has served its last customers this evening. Chef Alain Gascoin announced on the restaurant's Facebook page that he had sad news to announce. "A beautiful story ends here. I would like to thank our customers, young and not so young, those who have a story with the idiot. I am sorry but because of an illness and five operations, my body cannot take it any more. But don't hestitate to stop me and say good morning if you see me in the streets (it is not contagious), he said" The restaurant named the Village Idiot was anything but idiotic. It might not have had any stars but it was loved by many. The service in the restaurant was matched by a respect for quality ingredients and excellent combinations, sometimes which you would think would not work but which balanced everything out and always ended up working. I discovered the restaurant soon after our arrival in Brussels over 11 years ago and I have great memories of … [Read more...]
Competition for best unpasteurised cheese in Wallonia
Wallonia, the French speaking part of Belgium is on a quest to find the best unpasteurised cheese in the region. La Bergerie D'Acremont, A Table - Maison Fromagère, FUGEA and Generation W have joined forces to organise this competition to find the best cow, goat, sheep and buffalo unpasteurised cheeses that are being made in this region. The aim behind the initiative is to showcase the region, the know-how of the artisans making these cheeses and also the patrimony of the region. They also want to safeguard the different tastes that are possible from unpasteurised cheeses when compared to the standard tastes of pasteurised cheese. The organisers want to help add value and also improve the production of these cheeses in Wallonia. The organisers do not only want to award the best cheeses but they also want to help the artisanal cheese makers to be recognised for their quality and to also improve their work. The cheeses will be divided into six different categories. The jury is … [Read more...]
Star-studded lineup for sixth edition of Brussels Dinner in the Sky
The sixth edition of the Brussels edition of Dinner in the Sky will be held from 8 to 18 June this year and has an incredible line-up of chefs from star-studded restaurants across Belgium. This is the first time that so many chefs will gather in Belgium's capital to celebrate conviviality and Belgian gastronomy. The chefs behind the stoves of Dinner in the Sky for this edition are: Yves Mattagne of Sea Grill Lionel Rigolet of Comme chez Soi Pascal Devalkeneer of Chalet de la Forêt Bart De Pooter of De Pastorale Pierre Résimont of l’Eau Vive Viki Geunes of ‘t Zilte Filip Claeys of De Jonkman Alexandre Dionisio of Villa in the Sky David Martin of La Paix Giovanni Bruno of Senzanome Karen Torosyan of Bozar Brasserie Luigi Ciciriello of La Truffe Noire Isabelle Arpin Franco Spinelli of San Daniele Bart De Poote said "Up high, the taste and flavours are enhanced. It is about living a beautiful moment of conviviality between friends, lovers. … [Read more...]