Jacob Jan Boerma

In the autumn of 2017, I became involved at Boutique Hotel Parc Broekhuizen and the restaurant, Voltaire. Het team of this restaurant is being supervised by 2 young, talented chefs who both worked in my kitchen in Restaurant De Leest. Together with them we share the goal to create in Voltaire a very special restaurant with a kitchen that suits the surrounding nature. We did this with the greatest passion at this beautiful place in the middle of the county. We are grateful for all recognition of our guests and are enormously proud that the Michelin awarded us at the end of 2018 with a Michelin star.

We are only a few months later in time and have been given the opportunity already, on this remarkable location – this is how we perceive the historical estate of Parc Broekhuizen on a daily basis – to organise a unique International Gourmet Festival. A chance we have immediately accepted without a single moment of hesitation!

An International Gourmet Festival – as we call it Chefs at the Parc – that will bring together in 4 days more than 50 Michelin stars. Such a Festival is, including all extra events that will be part of it, is not something that we have seen prior in Holland. I am convinced though that our country is ready for it and that it will be enjoyed by many of our guests. We have so much talent within our (star rated) kitchen teams, there is so much knowledge and experience available amongst the (Michelin rated) chefs, that it is time to share this with colleagues and friends from all over the world. And with our guests who treasure the value of special culinary creations. I look forward to a Festival that offers the ideal opportunity to enjoy all of this together with all visiting chefs and of course with you!

I have been fortunate to gain experience over the past years in various Festivals. The past 12 years I have been invited by many chefs to prepare a beautiful meal together with them for their guests. I have always enjoyed to be part of these Festivals tremendously and they have for me been ‘once-in-a-lifetime-events’. This is the feeling that I get with each Festival that I have been able to take part in. Therefore it fills me with great pride to be able to invite these chefs – and friends – to join me in Holland now. The fact that we will be cooking together at this unique location in The Netherlands is very special for me personally. It was an honour to be invited by them and now it is my chance to return this honour. I have to admit that I honestly cannot wait to welcome them…. and I hope sincerely that our guests will feel the same special excitement that I have always felt in the past.

The basis of International Gourmet Festival Chefs at the Parc is for me the idea that the special friendships, that I have been able to build up over the past years, will allow great things to happen during the days of our Festival at Parc Broekhuizen.