Q&A with Jonnie Boer
Chef Jonnie Boer runs three-Michelin-starred restaurant De Librije together with his wife Thérèse. He is also an ambassador for Damn Food Waste, has a range of culinary products to his name – including gin, spices and pickles – and organizes the ChefsRevolution festival. And all this while you can also simply find him in De Librije’s kitchen five days a week.
Which food trend should we put an end to immediately?
All kinds of trends are blindly copied without any thought behind them. I don’t like that at all, so as far as I’m concerned, we should do away with food trends altogether.
Most memorable food experience?
The first time we ate at Michel Bras (Laguiole, France). And not just the dishes, but also the entire experience surrounding them. Even driving there was special. The location of his restaurant is truly fantastic, on a mountain with an amazing view. When I was taking a shower in our hotel room, a cow was staring at me through the window from just two meters away.
Favorite drink?
A Gin Fizz with my own GastroGin. It contains, among other things, juniper berries, licorice, angelica, caraway, cardamom, fennel blossom and fennel seeds. Very delicious.
Indispensable kitchen gadget?
A good, sharp grater. I don’t care about the brand.
The langoustine gets a fantastic texture from the kombucha.
What would you never eat again?
Horse meat. In principle, I’m willing to eat anything, but I can’t manage horse meat. Something stops me from eating it. I was probably a Native American in a previous life. I once tried steak cheval, but I simply couldn’t stomach it.
Which country is your favorite when it comes to food?
I’d choose China. There is so much diversity in that country. What really stayed with me was the local food in Chongqing – a port city on the Yangtze. The authentic Chinese food there is very special.
What should everyone try at least once?
One of my dishes: langoustine with kombucha and boemboe. The langoustine gets a fantastic texture from the kombucha.
What is the best supermarket product?
I haven’t been to a supermarket in years. We do our shopping at Hanos.
What is still on your food wish list?
A food holiday in Japan, although I’ll need a suitcase full of money first. I’ve never been there, but I’d love to taste the freshness of the products, the various local dishes and their specialties. And, of course, experience Japanese culture. At the top of my list is Narisawa in Tokyo, Japan’s best restaurant.
Which cookbook should everyone have on their shelf?
There are so many, I really couldn’t say. One I leafed through recently was White Heat, Marco Pierre White’s legendary book. It contains beautiful photographs, and the book is a kind of cross between a cookbook and an autobiography.
What do you like to make at home when you want to eat quickly and well?
For myself, a beautiful skin-on fried North Sea turbot with a little pasta. Our son Jimmie (16) basically eats everything except bell pepper. And Isabelle, our twelve-year-old daughter, can be woken up for oysters. Thérèse also loves fish, vegetables and salads.
Which dish makes you lose all self-control?
The skate wing I ate at Agern in Grand Central Terminal in New York. An unconventional and creative dish. The flavors were beautifully balanced and the fish was prepared extremely well.
Text:
Renée Conradi
Photography:
