ABOUT ME
When I was 14, I had no idea what I wanted to do. But my brother is a chef as well and has his own restaurant in Holland. When he came home, he was always so enthusiastic about his work, it was amazing.
I began my journey by helping my brother at the restaurant and after only a year of work, I came to the realization that becoming a chef was my life’s dream. As a chef, you have to be baker, a fisherman, a butcher, a gardener. You have to acknowledge so many different things, you always have to learn. For me, this was very exciting.
Over the course of my career, I worked for many different places, from catering companies to Michelin-starred restaurants. Shortly after taking part in the culinary competition held by Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France, I received my first experience with a Michelin-star restaurant. Soon, I was offered a position at a different restaurant in the Netherlands, De Librije, which by the time also held three Michelin stars.
‘‘Something changed, and I realized that this is exactly what I wanted to do.”
LIBRIJE
The job at De Librije demanded working up to 80 hours a week, in which I had to cut vegetables into cubes and sort through herbs. I remember feeling quite discouraged on my first day. But everything changed when we started plating the dishes, and I saw what those perfectly cut vegetable cubes were for. In that moment, something clicked, and I realized that this was exactly what I wanted to do. Because of this experience, I always involve interns and new team members in the plating process on their first day.
I also vividly remember the first time I tasted one of the dishes. ‘This is out of this world,’ I thought, ‘and one day I will be able to create something like this.’ I worked for over eight years at De Librije, and am forever greatful to Jonnie Boer for everything I learned. I gradually worked my way up from junior chef to station chef, and eventually to sous-chef. In my last year at the restaurant, I became head chef.
It was also during my time at De Librije that I met my wife Sanne, who was working there as a front office manager. Fortunately, we discovered that we could work well together while being in a relationship.
VITZNAUERHOF
Vitznauerhof in Switzerland began as a result of a coincidence. During a vacation in 2017, we decided to take a detour and visit the hotel. It is a magical place. When you walk in, it’s like stepping into a fairy tale.
In March 2018, my career in Switzerland begun, and what an adventure it has been! A new country, a different language. I didn't speak German at first, so with many hand gestures I had to show my suppliers what I wanted.
In the beginning it was quite challenging, but after a year, we started pulling it off. It was a complete shock when we heard that we had been awarded a Michelin star in 2019, and then a second in 2021. We were simply focused on cooking our best, earning a star never even crossed our minds.
INTER SCALDES
We had thought about returning to the Netherlands one day, but it wasn’t something we planned to do anytime soon. However, our friend Flip Dejaeghere—known for his Instagram, Flip World Foodie—sped up this process.
He told us that chef Jannis and his wife Claudia Brevet, owners of the iconic 3-Michelin-star restaurant Inter Scaldes, were looking for a new couple to take over. ‘We have to do this!’ was Sanne’s immediate reaction when I told her. Initially, I was a bit skeptical. After all, we had built so many great things in Switzerland. But after meeting Jannis and Claudia and visiting the restaurant, I was just as enthusiastic.
Even now, we sometimes still can’t fathom that we were given this opportunity. For Sanne and me, Inter Scaldes is not just a job—it’s our whole life and our life’s project.