BERGAMBACHT –
‘Very cool. But it went bizarre of course. ‘ Pieter de Ronde, chef and owner of Pieters Restaurant in Bergambacht, heard on Saturday morning that he had won a Michelin star. Due to a technical error in the app of the organization, the Dutch winners leaked out, two days before the planned announcement. Michelin admits the mistake: “We congratulate the chefs and all teams on this well-deserved recognition.”
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“It’s an Ollongren”, Pieter jokes, referring to the leaked notes by Kajsa Ollongren about the reconnaissance for a new cabinet. The reactions are now pouring in to the cook and his wife Paula, with whom he runs the restaurant together. My phone was bouncing. People really like it for us. ‘
The Michelin stars are regarded internationally as the foremost award in the luxury restaurant industry and the announcement ceremony is normally surrounded by a lot of secrecy and excitement. Pieter thinks it is a pity that things are not going as always this year. ‘Of course we couldn’t be present live in the DeLaMar Theater in Amsterdam. It would go through a Zoom meeting on Monday, to which we were invited along with 500 others. But we are just as happy with it now. ‘
‘From ruin to star restaurant’
It is not the first time that a restaurant where Pieter works has won a Michelin star, but it is a first for his own establishment in Bergambacht. ‘We cook recognizable, top fresh and with regional products. And all this in a relaxed atmosphere, ‘he says. ‘We started with a ruin seven years ago and now it is a star restaurant,’ he says proudly.
Due to the corona crisis, the restaurant is still closed and Pieter, Paula and their staff cannot extensively celebrate winning the Michelin star with their guests. ‘We have now set up a take-away and that is going quite well. This is a great boost at this time, we will certainly continue in the same way. ‘
Nine other Dutch restaurants already heard on Saturday that they have won awards. The Netherlands had 111 star restaurants in 2020. It is not clear whether there are also restaurants that lose a star and whether more restaurants may receive a star. On Monday, Michelin will announce the full list of star restaurants.
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