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Xavier Giesen and chef Luc Kusters run Bolenius restaurant, which opened its doors in 2010 and has a Michelin star since 2016. Xavier received the GaultMillau Host of the Year Award 2016. He writes a column, reporting from their kitchen at Zuidas.
“Is Bolenius a vegetarian restaurant?” – a question we get asked very often. Well, 500 prestigious Dutch chefs elected Bolenius as the best vegetable restaurant in the Netherlands and last year we even entered the global top-15 of vegetable restaurants – which fills our hearts with pride – but when people ask me the ‘veggie question’ I always say: “No, but we’re very good at preparing vegetables.”
Even though our restaurant is part of a skyline of concrete, steel and glass, our green ambition is very strong. Take our showcase vegetable garden covering 120 m2 (1,300 sq. ft), right between all the high-rise buildings. Every day, chef Luc Kusters goes there to harvest most of the vegetables and herbs he uses for his dishes.
Much appreciated
Luc reserves a very prominent place for vegetables in his cuisine: they’re at least as important as meat and fish, not only regarding the portions but also when it comes to the specific preparations and cooking techniques. The popularity of our restaurant at the Zuidas is an indication of how much our guests appreciate our culinary efforts.
Obviously, we also think about the future. Luc Kusters is now an SVH Master Chef and I’ve become a qualified SVH Master Host. However, these titles bring a commitment with them: passing on our knowledge to the next generation of men and women in white and black. To lend this principle more substance we teamed up with fellow restaurant owners to start our own gastronomic education programme this year. It’s not just a simple training course but a serious education leading to an official SVH diploma.
Unique
During this programme we teach our employees what it takes to offer our guests a unique gastronomic experience. We show our students the various ways of preparing dishes and explain to them what effect this has on taste and flavours.
We apply the very same principle to the entire range of drinks we serve, in order to fully understand their particular characteristics so we’ll be able to find the perfect combination of drinks and dishes. This new programme enables our employees to broaden their knowledge and use their new skills in our kitchen and restaurant.
Interested in working at Bolenius restaurant? Then please send an email to info@bolenius-restaurant.nl.
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Nederlands