Benoît Nihant, the bean to bar chocolate maker from Belgium has invested in his first ever cacao plantations in Peru. Eight years after launching his chocolate business in Awans, the Belgian chocolate maker has decided to invest in his own plantation which will allow him to push the boundaries of his chocolate creations. His first plantation, which was always his dream, is in San Jose de Sisa, in the province of Saint Martin. He has decided to name the plantation Luis de Sisa for his son Louis. Speaking to Food and Wine Gazette at the opening of his second store in Brussels before he headed to the plantation in Peru, Benoit said: "It was always my dream to invest in a plantation. The social aspect is also very important in business." The region was carefully selected. After going around the world to look for the best cacao plantations to buy his cacao, the Belgian chocolate maker was seduced by the Saint Martin region in Peru with the amazing scenery, the history and the … [Read more...]
Gelinaz! Brussels Headquarters is a once in a lifetime experience – Christophe Hardiquest (Bon Bon)
Christophe Hardiquest and his restaurant Bon Bon in Brussels has been in the limelight in the past weeks as the news that Gelinaz!, the collective of international chefs, would organise Brussels Headquarters in the Belgian capital city. On November 10, his restaurant in Woluwe St Pierre, one of the communes of the Brussels, will welcome 19 chefs (see full list below) from across Europe for a unique event that has never been organised before. "This is a once in a lifetime experience for the team and myself. An experience like this, it will be forever etched in your memory," Christophe told Food and Wine Gazette in an interview. "But the event is not only important for the team and the restaurant, it is also extremely important for Brussels particularly in this current period. I am proud to be part of such an event." So what is going to happen in Brussels on the 10 November? 20 of the world's most creative chefs including Belgium's Gert de Mangeleer and Kobe Desramaults will be … [Read more...]
San Degeimbre is restaurant owner of the year for Les Grandes Tables du Monde
The past few days have been very important for Belgian chef Sang Hoon Degeimbre. After opening his second restaurant in Brussels by the name SAN Sablon last week, on Monday, the chef of L'Air du Temps was selected as the foreign restaurant owner of the year by the Les Grandes Tables du Monde. This took place in Venice during the 62nd meeting of the association that groups together 170 restaurants from 24 different countries in all 5 continents. Sang Hoon Degeimbre is known as the chef of L'air du Temps, a 2 Michelin star restaurant in Liernu, Belgium. In the past year he has opened two restaurants in Brussels, one in Rue de Flandres in the Place St Catherine area and another in the Sablon year. Last year the chef was nominated by restaurant guide Gault and Millau as the Belgian chef of the year for 2016. L'Air du Temps will be celebrating its 20 years since it first opened next year. Degeimbre has a cuisine that is not only extremely modern and inventive but is also focused on … [Read more...]
La Paix: Respect for ingredients and slow cooking at its best
La Paix in Anderlecht has been on my to do list for many years now. But the opening times (Monday to Friday lunch and Friday evening) meant that it was never easy to visit this restaurant and that was the case until a few weeks ago. The restaurant is located in a Brussels neighbourhood that is most famous for its football team and the 'Abattoir'. With a location opposite the most famous meat market of Brussels, there is no question that the restaurant La Paix, a brasserie since 1892 is famous for its meat. I've known and read about chef David Martin and had tried a few of his dishes in previous events around Belgium but had never actually visited his restaurant until a few weeks ago. That was indeed a pity as I discovered when I visited for lunch in September. It is one of those places which keeps getting mentioned whenever I meet chefs and ask them where they like to eat so a visit had been on the cards for a while. It is a case of better late than never. It is a restaurant … [Read more...]
Brussels restaurant Bon Bon is headquarters for ambitious Gelinaz! event
Bon Bon Restaurant is the Headquarters for ambitious Gelinaz! event taking place on 10 November 2016. The restaurant of Christophe Hardiquest, two Michelin stars and a 19.5 score in the Gault & Millau guide, will be buzzing with activity around the clock on 10 November (till the early hours of 11 November) as he is set to welcome 19 chefs from around the world for what promises to be a one of a kind event. On that day, 20 chefs will join forces and cook consecutively for over 15 hours (excluding preparations) as they join another 40 chefs around the world who will be involved in the largest ever restaurant shuffle. In total, they will be creating four different menus for four separate seatings which start at noon and finish at 3am in the morning of the next day. How will the event work? The 20 chefs will be paired into 10 teams of 2. Each pair of chefs will interpret a dish that is going to be prepared by one of the 40 chefs during the shuffle that takes place on the … [Read more...]
San Degeimbre to open second San restaurant in Brussels next week
A year after the opening of the first San Restaurant in central Brussels, two Michelin star chef San Degeimbre of L'Air du Temps restaurant in Liernu, Belgium is opening his second San restaurant in Brussels, this time in the Sablon area. The restaurant opens on Thursday 13th October on Rue Joseph Stevens, just a few metres away from Place Sablon. The restaurant will follow the same concept as the first restaurant in Rue de Flandre in the Place St Catherine area which serves food in bowls. The concept had been tried and tested for lunch at the two Michelin star restaurant L’Air du Temps in Liernu, Belgium and has been also successful in Brussels. Despite the difficult times that the city has faced after this year's terrorist attacks, there have been a number of interesting restaurant openings in the city this year including the bistro by Brussels two Michelin star chef Pascal Devalkeneer, Amen this summer as well as the opening of Humphrey's by former Noma sous-chef Yannick … [Read more...]
Gelinaz! headquarters descends on Brussels: 20 of world’s best chefs to cook together on 10 November
Brussels will be turned into the gastronomic capital of the world on 10 November as Gelinaz!, the collective of chefs from around the world organises what it is calling the first ever Gelinaz! Headquarters in Brussels. 20 among today's most creative culinary talents in the world will be descending in Brussels to create a 4x3 hour long dinner and much more. No details have been released except for the names of the chefs which will make food lovers in Brussels salivate at the thought of having some of the world best chefs cooking in Brussels. The chefs that will come to Brussels to join the only Brussels based chef Christophe Hardiquest of Bon Bon include the two Belgian chefs Kobe Desramaults (In De Wulf) and Geert de Mangeleer (Hertog Jan). Also participating in the event are Davide Scabin (Combal Zero, Italy), Claude Bosi (Hibiscus, London), Petter Nilsson (Spritmuseum, Sweden), Yannick Alleno (Alleno, Pavillon Ledoyen, France), Kristian Baumann (Restaurant 108, … [Read more...]
Humphrey Restaurant (Brussels): A welcome addition to the Brussels restaurant scene
Many of today's most influential chefs have one thing in common. They have all spent time working in Ferran Adria's kitchen. Massimo Bottura, Rene Redzepi, Grant Achatz to mention just a few of the most creative chefs around have spent time with the Spanish genius of el Bulli fame. Most of these chefs have gone on to develop their own style, their own philosophies and their own cuisine. There is no question that being mentored by a great chef has a lasting impact on your cooking style and also your philosophy, even if you depart from that approach. The new generation of chefs is also moving around from one restaurant to another gaining as much experience as possible benefiting from the 'globalisation' of haute cuisine. Just like the previous generation developed their own style and approach to cooking, the new generation is also making good use of the experience they have gained to take completely new directions. Chefs who were inspired by the inventiveness of Ferran Adria … [Read more...]
Fourth Flemish food bash taking place on 28 August
The fourth edition of the Flemish Food Bash, an event organised by chef Vincent Florizoone, returns at the end of this month at the Belgian beach resort of Koksijde. The event, in its fourth edition, will be more Belgian than the previous event which attracted chefs from around Europe. Florizoone, the organiser said the event promises to be an explosion of creativity where foodies are immersed in an amazing world of music, street art, tattoo culture and barber art. The line up of chefs and cocktail masters have now been completed and includes some of the rising stars of Belgian cuisine including Brussels based Yannick Van Aeken and Alex Joseph, Matthias Speybrouk of Va e Vient. Two Michelin star chef Bart de Pooter has also confirmed his presence together with Dennis Broeckx and Laurent Smallegange among others. Some 2,500 attendees are expected to take part in the event that starts at 12 noon. The chefs that have confirmed their participation are: Dennis Broeckx - … [Read more...]
Dierendonck, one of Belgium’s best butchers to open in Brussels
Hendrik Dierendonck, one of the most well known butchers in Belgium with shops and a restaurant in the Belgian coast has announced this morning on his Facebook page that he will be opening an Atelier in Brussels. He wrote it is the start of a new adventure, a dream come true. "The artisanal approach, terroir and passion are the focal points of our butcher shops and these are the values that I have picked up from my father Raymond Dierendonck," Hendrik said. The new atelier in Brussels will follow on this approach and will be open in autumn. It will replace the Jack O'Shea shop close to Place St Catherine that closed abruptly in the past weeks. He thanked his entire team because he said he would not be able to do this without their support. Just before summer this year, Hendrik Dierendonck was in Brussels collaborating on a number of one off pop-up events. Dierendonck raises the Belgian Red breed in their own farm. This is an extremely rare breed of cattle and a … [Read more...]