Well, Belgium and the Netherlands have emerged to a culinary hotspot not only due to Peter Goossens, Sergio Herman and Jonnie Boer ranking among the best chefs in the world. Interestingly, there are many young, very talented chefs who have developed a modern yet distinct culinary style, especially in the Flanders region. At my recent visit there I had fantastic diners at De Jonkman (Filip Claeys has even more emancipated from Sergio compared to last year) and In de Wulf (Kobe Desramaults has created a very unique interpretation of his region – a kind of continental noma but Flanders-style) among others (reviews to come;-) )
Now, Kobe and Filip have joined forces with Alexandre Gauthier from Le Grenouillère in the French part of former Flanders county to show how “their” regional products can be elevated to the culinary high-end. This approach was already very visible at both De Jonkman and In de Wulf when I ate there. But to go the next step, namely to rely mostly on regional produce, it is necessary to cooperate to have synergies in sourcing and logistics. I recall my conversation with René Redzepi when he told war stories from his initial sourcing endeavors…
Filip Claeys, Alexandre Gauthier and Kobe Desramaults (left to right)
Tonight, a service à 6 mains will take place at In de Wulf to present their approach. So I will be off to In de Wulf again and will report back about the fine details. You can also be there – well, virtually at least: the whole evening is broadcasted live on the net by Cuisiner En Ligne (starting at 4 p.m. CET to present the chefs and their products and then again from 8 p.m. onwards). Watch, enjoy, indulge…