Face of Flanders: Kobe Desramaults
Flemish chef Kobe Desramaults transformed his mother's restaurant into one of the top culinary destinations in the country. But now, he's closing it down
Time for a change
Desramaults, 35, was born in Poperinge, the heart of hop country in West Flanders. His mother had a restaurant in nearby Dranouter, now a district of Heuvelland. And they’re still there, until December at least.
Desramaults didn’t do well at school, so his mother sent him off to a friend’s place to serve an apprenticeship in the kitchen. His talents soon came to the fore, and he was off to Oud Sluis in Zeeland, which then had two stars, to work under the famous Sergio Herman.
In 2003, Desramaults’ mother told him she wanted to sell In De Wulf. He protested, and she agreed to give him a year to turn the business around. Two years later, when he was 25, Michelin awarded him his first star, making him one of the youngest chefs to earn a star from the organisation. In De Wulf is now one of the top restaurant destinations in the country.
Desramaults was one of the first in Belgium to emphasise using locally sourced products, and he was known for foraging across the fields and forests of West Flanders for ingredients, as well as growing many of them himself.
OAD voted him top of its European list in 2014, and fourth last year, when Desramaults, who owns two other restaurants in Ghent, announced that he would be closing In De Wulf. “I am 35 years old and have been working hard in this restaurant for 12 years,” he told Studio Brussel. “It is now time to reflect on what to do next.”
Desramaults will continue with De Vitrine and Superette in Ghent and has “plenty of ideas”, he says, for future ventures.
Photo courtesy De Standaard
