He visits restaurants so often that at home at the table he looks for the menu out of habit. Like no other, culinary entrepreneur Carsten Klint knows where to make reservations. Maybe you can get some inspiration for your own Christmas dinner or maybe these culinary hotspots are nice for a dinner after the holidays, to unlearn....
Westlander Jim Ophorst started as PRU's chef at the luxury resort Trisara in Thailand's Phuket in 2016. Two years later, the Michelin Guide to Thailand was released for the second time, which included the south for the first time: Jim was immediately allowed to note the first star for the 16-cover restaurant. PRU, by the way, stands for Plant, Raise and Understand. Vegetables, herbs and (edible) flowers are grown on their own farm PRU Jampa. In addition, the chef uses only line-caught fish, and if meat is used, it is naturally from free-range sources. Sustainability and respect for nature go hand in hand and all the ingredients he uses in his cooking come from Thailand. Not for nothing, Michelin also awarded him the first and only restaurant in Thailand with a Green Star in 2021. Reservations for this restaurant must be made a month in advance, but you can make your here already sign up for the waiting list.
As an 18-year-old, Richard Ekkebus from Zeeland left Robert Kranenborg's kitchen at the prestigious Amstel Hotel to try his luck abroad. There he was further trained by the greatest three-star chefs of France: Pierre Gagnaire, Alain Passard and Guy Savoy. After stopovers in Mauritius and Barbados, he lands in Asia. There, as Director of Culinary Operations and Food & Beverage, Ekkebus is currently the most successful Dutch chef across borders. His restaurant Amber at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong has been awarded two stars by Michelin for more than fourteen years. After a $10 (!) million restaurant remodel, Ekkebus is focusing on a new concept. One hundred percent dairy-free, less meat, use of local organic agricultural products and sustainably caught seafood. This resulted in the award this year with a Green Michelin star. Make here your reservation.
A little closer to home, Ralf Berendsen cooks the stars from heaven. In Lanaken, Belgium, he has been Executive Chef at Relais & Châteaux hotel La Butte aux Bois for more than 11 years, where restaurant La Source was awarded its first Michelin star in 2013 and five years later received its second. The owners cemented a more long-term partnership with the Dutch chef by renaming the restaurant "Ralf Berendsen" in 2021. Located in a wooded area, the luxury is noticeable in every detail. According to inspectors of the red dining bible, Ralf is a perfectionist who enriches recognizable flavors with delicate nuances and the subtlety of international flavorings. 'The superb balance the chef manages to strike between these intense flavors, like the striking sauces, proves Ralf Berendsen's talent. The sweet tooth also likes to hear that he has a past as a baker-patissier. The bread and cookie cart are therefore to die for!" says the Michelin Guide. Unfortunately, no more tables are available during the holidays, but it might be nice to start the new year at this restaurant. Book here.
The winter issue of MASTERS was created in collaboration with Jordi van den Bussche. Many will know him as YouTuber Kwebbelkop, yet he has been working hard as an entrepreneur for some time, as he reveals in the Big Interview. What's new is that his company JVDB Studios is offering to do social media marketing and short-format content marketing for other companies. "They can also go and figure it out themselves, but we cracked the code." Jordi gives a stage to like-minded entrepreneurs such as Jay-Jay Boske, Demy de Zeeuw, Chahid Charrak and Marcella de Bie, and discusses developments around games, crypto and NFT: "Just as bitcoin turned the financial system upside down, the same will happen with gaming." This extra-thick winter issue also features Lengers' first own ship, an interview with Corendon chief Atilay Uslu, specials on the new BMW 7 Series and Samsung foldables, and - exclusively for MASTERS! - an interview with Max Verstappen.
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