Chef Tim Boury immediately feels the impact of the third star: 1,500 emails and numerous phone calls to record a reservation (Roeselare)

Tim Boury and his team imagined themselves on a true rollercoaster on Monday. After the restaurant was awarded a third Michelin star around noon, it was a day full of unexpected turns for the star chef. “Around 4 pm, our team surprised us in Mons. We got ready for the banquet that was organized as part of the award ceremony, but eventually ended up in Antwerp for The Cooke & Verhulst Show. Totally unexpected.”

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Finally it went back to Mons in the evening where Tim enjoyed an afterparty. On Tuesday morning, he and his team returned to the restaurant to make preparations for the coming days. “Is there suddenly going to be a lot of change here on the spot? New. We are at a good level and would like to continue with that momentum.”

Yet the immediate impact of the third star is immense. Nicolas Lefranc noticed that too. He has been working at Boury for five years and is, among other things, responsible for the reservations. “Yesterday we followed the awarding of the Michelin stars online with some employees. We wanted to jump into Tim and Inge’s arms and left for Mons after the announcement. In the evening we were suddenly in the audience of The Cooke & Verhulst Show. We never thought that in the morning. The third star also offers us opportunities for new experiences.” Nicolas immediately delved into the many emails that the restaurant received on Monday. 1,500. “The phone is also red hot. For example, we are already full on Christmas Eve, while that is certainly not the case during this period in other years.”

sober

Boury’s staff see the three stars as a true recognition of the work they have done in recent years. Maître d’hotel Niel Delameilleure (25) was already there when Boury went from one to two stars. “When we meet again in thirty years’ time, we will be able to talk with a great sense of what is happening here right now. We have felt the evolution within the restaurant.” Still, Tim and his team also remain extremely sober with the third star. “The most important thing is that we keep the fun. Many customers know us by our name and that’s nice. Boury may now be on the international culinary map, but we want to remain as we are.”

Tim Boury reacts to his third Michelin star: “We knew nothing about it. I can’t get it yet”