On Monday 26/02/24, the ceremony of the new Michelin Guide for Belgium & Luxembourg. Antwerp was more than honoured to host this important high mass of gastronomy in its hospitable city. Mayor Bart De Wever made no bones about it. After all, Antwerp has a tradition in this field. It is not for nothing that the city has the nickname “city of biscuits” and as a baroque city it is also known as “exuberant”, where living well is not considered a sin. Good food can always be found for everyone’s budget and the variety of cuisines is vast. The Michelin senior delegate further particularly stressed the importance of the continuation of the annual publication of the Michelin Guide. Discovering talent and allowing it to excel is the objective. Innovation is important and enthusiasm for the profession must be focused. Getting the best out of themselves both by the chefs and sous chefs and by the venue staff will always provide surprises.

The ceremony kicked off with the awarding of 14 “Bib Gourmand” nicely spread across Brussels (5) , Wallonia (5) and Flanders (4). This is a mention of new restaurants with a very good value for money. In casu, for example, nominated for Flanders were: ONSLOW and QUATRE VINS in BRUGGE, FURBETTO in HEVERLEE and MONA LISA in IEPER. Nine restaurants were then included in the “1 star restaurant” selection including, among others. NEON in LIER by Nils Proost and PRE DE CHEZ VOUS in BOUGE by Julien Malaisse. The latter also received the ” Young Chef Award ” . This recognition also provides support for the restaurant as a business. Chef Nils Proost also received the “Green Star” for his restaurant NEON. ” Green Star ” as he puts sustainable working in his kitchen at the forefront. He focuses on local cuisine and has a lot of respect for all the people around him (suppliers, farmers …) who make sure he can work with good quality ingredients. Both restaurants therefore prizes twice. Only two restaurants were included in the “2-star restaurant ” selection.

At this second higher level, the food must not only be solid and tasty but a reliably higher quality is required. There is also emotion involved. There has to be a vision , a story behind it. The bar is clearly raised. The big surprise was that Floris Van Der Veken, who took over the restaurant from Peter Goossens at the beginning of this year, only after 8 weeks of working, it immediately received 2 stars from Michelin. This is not remarkable, knowing that Floris Van Der Veken has worked for 10 years as sous chef in Peter Goosens’ listed restaurant that was had a 3-star Michelin listing under his management. Clearly, the saying “quality stays on top” is appropriate here. SIR KWINTEN in SINT-KWINTENS-LENNIK by Glenn Verhasselt was the second nominee in this category. Having achieved its first star in 2020, it can already celebrate its second star. Don’t forget here that Verhasselt already became “First Chef of Belgium” in 2017. He is a top talent.

During the performance of these two 2-star restaurants, the audience was treated to a second surprise. Peter Goossens, who had already been called on stage to help with the award of the 2 stars, was celebrated by his fellow restaurateurs for his great merit, contribution and impact on fine dining. The subsequent standing ovation from all participants in the room testified to the heartfelt respect for this exceptional chef. For thirty years for 30 years he headed a starred restaurant of which the last 20 years with a 3-star listing by Michelin. His enthusiasm, drive and expertise will no doubt continue to in new projects. Personally, he is not thinking of quitting. No proposals were made for the highest level – “the 3-star nomination”. This highest level is achieved when the craft becomes art as the presenter beautifully described. Everything but everything here has to be to perfection and the experience of the visitors should also be optimal. Only top-quality ingredients are used. As a chef, you have to keep convincing yourself on a daily basis here. Emotions are certainly there with an excellent cuisine and service and perfect wines. It is and remains bang on every day at this top level.

The status quo includes the 2 existing 3-star restaurants, being ZILTE in ANTWERPEN by Viki Geunes and BOURY in ROESELARE by Tim Boury. What is new is that the “Sommelier Award” was awarded to Matthieu Vanneste of listed 3 star restaurant BOURY in ROESELARE. He is known for his daring wine-dish combinations. He stands for innovation and also brings innovation. Finally, we withheld the following reports from the nominees. Modesty trumps. “We do make good food but my partner and her team, who stand in the room and serving people, deserve equal praise. Through their passionate and friendly approach and approach, they make visitors feel good which keeps them coming back. A strong and cohesive team is therefore the key to success” “By experimenting a lot and keeping one’s eyes everywhere, over the years one’s own signature can be developed.” “Surrounding oneself with talented employees is crucial Sensing each other without many words for what needs to be done is time-saving and efficient”.

Worth noting, however, is that for finding the right staff and employing them properly of them, the alarm bell is ringing more than once. More and more, it is becoming more difficult to find people who want to work weekends or late hours. A flexible attitude and persistence on the part of the restaurateur will be more than necessary in the future to continue this fine métier properly continue.

Piu Piero
G.N.S.P.A.