Vegetable Sommelier
In any dish, vegetables are at least as important as the other ingredients. In other words: the spinach you serve as part of your dish has to be just as amazing as the meat of fish that comes with it. To pull this off, you need knowledge of various flavours, purchasing, processing, storing, preparation and presentation of the vegetables. Various taste combinations and question of what happens to a vegetable during preparation of the food are also factors to consider.
Guus: Over the years, I have worked as a cuisinier in renowned restaurants and hotels, both domestically and abroad. PVF (Potatoes, Vegetables & Fruit) is what drives the kitchen. Together with the desire to learn more by reading, learning, seeing, tasting, listening an experimenting, I have also discovered a desire to share my knowledge. After all, sharing knowledge is just as important as gathering it. The idea of being a Vegetable Sommelier was born out of my appreciation for PVF in all aspects. The feeling of being able to help people from soil to mouth. Knowing where everything begins. Who finds the perfect seed? Who develops it? Who begins the cultivation process? Who purchases the product? For which audience is the product intended? By operating in all markets, you quickly conclude that these things are not always connected. A consumer sometimes thinks differently than a farmer, while a farmer's thought processes differ from a wholesaler. That is where I come in as a Vegetable sommelier. We work between the lines to give PVF a place on the plate where it is appreciated by everyone in all markets.
The love for PVF is in my blood. The tastes, culture and possibilities are tremendously appealing to me. It occupies my mind and will never let me go. It is therefore important to share this knowledge with people who have similar interests, want to develop that interest or simply need the knowledge. It comes straight from the heart and has an important core value: passion for the product!