JJ Boerma to Parc Broekhuizen

In December 2016, the idyllic Parc Broekhuizen estate in Leersum reopened after an extensive renovation; until then, it was best known as the location of the popular baking show Heel Holland Bakt, which was filmed there up to and including the current season. Now the hotel-cum-restaurant has recruited three-Michelin-starred chef Jacob Jan Boerma.

For the high-end restaurant Voltaire, Marco Westmaas was initially brought back from Bangkok, where this chef has had, among other things, his own restaurant and supermarket for years.

Ambitious

With an ambitious plan, a fantastic new kitchen and the spectacular event ‘Dinner at The Parc’, in which ten international two- and three-Michelin-starred chefs took part (including Jacob Jan Boerma) and which was intended to become a recurring event, Westmaas started his job earlier this year at the historic country house designed by his wife Judith van Mourik.

‘A modern world cuisine in which seasonal produce and local ingredients take centre stage,’ was how Westmaas’s cuisine was described.

Enter: three-Michelin-starred chef Jacob Jan Boerma.

In June, it became known that Westmaas had left Parc Broekhuizen and had returned to Bangkok. The question arose as to who would now lead the kitchen of restaurant Voltaire. Despite wild speculation in the industry, the rather remote Voltaire did not opt for the easy route, but raised the bar even higher. It appointed Jacob Jan Boerma to oversee the culinary direction, known for his three-Michelin-starred restaurant De Leest in Vaassen and The White Room in the five-star Krasnapolsky hotel in Amsterdam.

Signature

According to the owners, ‘the menu top chef Boerma created for Voltaire highlights his renowned signature (from his restaurant De Leest*** in Vaassen) of fresh notes, acidity and spices, with seasonal produce taking centre stage. The dishes are elegant and light, and the menu is characterised by plenty of vegetables, crustaceans and shellfish. Nevertheless, he gives Voltaire a completely distinctive identity by presenting dishes with predominantly Asian influences and cooking with local ingredients from Parc Broekhuizen’s own vegetable garden.’

But Boerma will not be found in the kitchen every day himself. He leaves that to Voltaire’s chef Robert Poel (formerly employed at De Leest) and executive chef Thomas Diepersloot.