CELEBRATION! These are the winners of the FavorFlav Food Top 100 2020
Every year, we compile the FavorFlav Food Top 100. A mouthwatering list of the 100 tastemakers from the world of food & drink. Because it was such an extraordinary year, it has become a special Corona Edition. Not a complete list of 100 names as usual, but winners in six special categories. Six movers and shakers from the culinary world who made a major difference this year. Different from previous years, but every bit as newsworthy.
Because corona has made an absurdly big mark on this year, we specifically looked at who stood out corona-wise. Which people, products and services were the most remarkable and playful? Who managed to shine despite—or rather, thanks to—corona? Who or what managed to capture the spirit of the times so well—and in doing so put a smile on our faces and those of so many others?
The six big winners of this special Corona Edition are Mara Grimm, Jaimie van Heije, Loetje, Brabantsche Worstenbroodjes, PAINDEMIE and Joris Bijdendijk. All six made a demonstrable contribution to enriching food culture and food awareness in the Netherlands during this crazy corona year.
The winners
Corona Cookbook Category: How do you eat both somewhat deliciously and, above all, affordably during corona times? That was the simple but effective idea behind the crisis koken website, which food journalist Mara Grimm launched immediately after the lockdown was announced. Chefs shared their favorite low-budget dish that anyone can make at home for very little money. The recipes were compiled in the book CRISIS KOKEN, self-published, with €2.50 donated to the Food Bank for every copy sold. The book is now in its third printing, and over €30,000 has been raised for the Food Bank. A fantastic and effective initiative. The cookbook hit of 2020!
Corona Cooking Class Category: Cooking at home at a high level gained momentum in 2020. Following world-famous chef Massimo Bottura, who livestreamed Kitchen Quarantine on Instagram every day, our Dutch (star) chefs also started cooking online. One of the most enjoyable online cooking shows was the series by chef Jaimie van Heije, who kept things wonderfully simple, unlike the complicated dishes he makes at his restaurant of the same name. For Instagram, he cooked daily dishes made with products he could still find on supermarket shelves after the mass panic-buying. It didn’t earn him any money, but it did generate an incredible number of enthusiastic responses from home cooks. And more than 6 million views per week!
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- Jamie van Heije, de man van 6 miljoen
Corona Delivery/Takeaway Category: Restaurant Loetje more than earned its place on this list of winners. The question of how to provide guests with their favorite steak despite corona when the restaurant is closed was answered with the Loetje Drive In. The pilot was such a success that it was quickly expanded to multiple locations throughout the Netherlands.
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- Amber van der Kooij van Loetje
Corona Food Box Category: Keilekker Brabantsche Worstenbroodjes also catered to people’s meaty corona cravings with its playful Brabantsche worstenbroodjes DIY package. This allowed the whole of the Netherlands to enjoy the ultimate sausage rolls without having to travel south to get them. A resounding success: more than 20,000 packages have been sent out so far! Fun fact: there is also a vegan version.
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- Meer dan 20.000 pakketten!
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- Een blije Remco Beekman van Brabantsche Worstenbroodjes
Corona Product Category: The hospitality industry’s resilience and ingenuity also became clear during the second restaurant shutdown. Chef Guillaume de Beer of The Breda Group had to close the doors of his venues (Maris Piper, Guts and BREDA) once again, and at restaurant Maris Piper he developed PAINDEMIE: a delicious takeaway sandwich named after the famous French pan bread, Pain de Mie. Without a doubt, the corona product of the year.
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- Briljante naam, te gekke broodjes
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- Chef Guillaume de Beer
Overall Corona Winner, the star chef with high-profile collaborations whom no one could ignore lately: Joris Bijdendijk (of RIJKS* and Wils). He was one of the first chefs to come up with a restaurant menu for home, and at a fantastic price (€32.50) to boot. A huge success—and that wasn’t all. Dining in a church, private dining (and sleeping) in a loft, a drive-through Michelin-star box for home with simultaneous live cooking instructions from the chef, dining in a Ferris wheel, the launch of Rijksdaalder (fine dining at home) with chef Dennis Huwaë of Daalder, the launch of SNERT (finally, genuinely flavorful canned pea soup!) with the Netherlands’ very first SNERT bar; Joris did it all—and fueled it with enthusiastic photos on social media.
You can watch the full video here:
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