UNIVERS

When I finished my classical studies at the Floreffe Seminary, I had my mind set on doing architecture. I loved bricks. I still do, to this I day... Marraine (Grandma) Philomène’s delicious home-cooked meals, however, had also laid another kind of foundation for me; an obession almost, an eagerness to taste and savour the pure emotion of every single meal she lovingly prepared on her stove.

When I was 18 I took a gap year which culminated in my enrolling at the'École Hôtelière of Namur, followed by a compagnonnage that opened the doors of ‘Major Institutions’ in Belgium and France for me. The pivotal moment for me, however, was meeting Anne and the two of us deciding not just to join our lives but to dive into the deep end of the restaurant business together.

My cooking is all about emotion and honesty. I only prepare food I’d like to eat myself and which puts produce centre-stage: one main element, one or two garnishes and the right sauce. I love French food, especially that of Alain Ducasse, who has pulled off the massive feat of expressing his skill with character, precision and simplicity.

In my compositions I like to find a balance between textures, between fatty foods and acidity, with a particular fondness for the latter: ever present without imposing itself, it allows me to add crispness to a dish, and to make people want to savour it to the very last bite, or come back to it!

I don’t believe in divine inspiration : my ideas and interpretations are the result of exchanges with my team or colleagues, of travel and reading, and of what grows in my kitchen garden, season upon season.