The American Sarah Lemke will bake her last pizzas in the Superette on 20 November. — © David Van Hecke
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Ghent loses one of its best pizzerias. Superette in the Guldenspoorstraat will close its doors on 20 November. Initiators Kobe Desramaults and Sarah Lemke are both moving to other places, which makes it too difficult for them to keep the case open.
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Lotte Ruysschaert
Today at 06:00–
Topchef Kobe Desramaults announced last month that he is opening a restaurant in Sicily in June† Now that co-owner of Superette Sarah Lemke has also announced her departure to America, this immediately means the end of their beloved bakery and restaurant. After all, Lemke had become the beating heart of Superette, and did not want to run the business from a distance.
Eight years ago, Desramaults and Lemke started their adventure with Superette. Lemke is from Michigan and had just closed her bakery in America when a friend told her that Desramaults was looking for an experienced baker. “I had never heard of him, but I sent him an email and he was interested. Then I came to Belgium for three months and we decided to go for it,” says Lemke.
“Ghent feels like a village”
The duo installed a large wood oven and Superette was born. Lemkes bread and pizzas were very popular, even earning them a place in the 50 Top Pizza, a list of the best European pizzerias outside Italy.
But after eight years, the physical and mental burden weighs heavily. “I’ve been baking for almost 20 years, so my body needs a change. As a baker I often stand up and have to carry heavy things. My daughter lives in America and is now 13 years old, so I would like to spend more time with her.” Lemke has no concrete plans in America yet, but she may be taking a break from working in the hospitality industry. (Read more below the photo)
–Kobe Desramaults in the beginning of Superette, when he was there even more often. — © fvv
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The bakery will be in Superette for the last time on November 20. “I will miss my colleagues the most. They were very understanding when I told them I wanted to go back to America.” But Ghent itself has also managed to conquer its heart during all those years. “I consider myself lucky to have ended up in this city. Everyone is very friendly and to me it feels a bit like a village here. When you go out, you always run into someone you know.”
Looking for a buyer
In recent months, Lemke expects to see mostly familiar faces in the bakery and restaurant. “We continue to bake the best pizza and bread we can. After that I will close this chapter and hopefully I will look back very positively.”
Fans of Superette need not despair yet, because Lemke and Desramaults are looking for a buyer. “We made this a very personal project, so I’m curious how someone else would fill it in. It would be nice if the wood oven could continue to burn.”
INFO: www.de-superette.be, Guldenspoorstraat 29, 9000 Ghent. The bakery is open on Saturdays from 10 am. The restaurant is open from Thursday to Sunday from 6 pm to 9.30 pm. On Sundays there is brunch from 11 am to 3 pm.
–© David Van Hecke
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