After a long career in the maritime sector, I finally had time for my passion, good food. I really enjoy fine flavor combinations and am therefore constantly looking for new ingredients and preparations. Of course, this also includes enjoying all those goodies while purchasing.

Experimenting with flavor combinations is an endless challenge. A correct ratio of the 5 basic flavors (salt, sweet, sour, bitter and umami) can make a very big difference. Thanks to "food pairing" we can gain a better insight into this. The most defining part of what we describe as taste is actually smell or aroma. In my recipes I look for an optimal combination of aromas and low-carbohydrate ingredients.

I also find it very important to continuously learn, not only from top chefs but also from 'Jan met de pet' who prepares some recipe in his own proven way. Anyone can learn something from anyone.

I also find it very interesting to learn different techniques, which have now become feasible for almost every hobby chef. Fermentation, brining, sous-vide (vacuum cooking), cold and hot smoking to name a few, but also the use of all kinds of new, often unknown, ingredients and affordable kitchen appliances make this learning process an endless source of new discoveries and sometimes also of real challenges.