When you eat at restaurant De Dyck, in the polder between Alphen aan den Rijn and Amsterdam, all your senses are stimulated. It starts with the herb- and flower-scented air when you arrive. Hold on to this as you let the organic wines roll over your tongue, and combine with the flavoursome vegetables you taste from the huge garden you overlook. Nature is letting itself be heard! - TEXT MARJOLEIN SCHUMAN | PHOTOS KARIN LEEUWENHOEK, MARJOLEIN SCHUMAN, KARIEN NIEUWENHUIS, LEMON FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
From arable farming to gastronomy
What the farmer doesn't know he doesn't eat? The adage does not apply to Reinier Kempenaar (50). He is the third generation on a farm in the Green Heart and has built a restaurant on the family estate that we would prefer to award a Michelin star ourselves. Reinier wanted to show that gastronomy can also be done differently. Being self-sufficient and eating what the land offers, prepared with care, that is the philosophy here. Sommelier Danny van den Barselaar has also made a drastic choice when it comes to the wine list.
Did your parents think it was a good idea to establish a restaurant here?
Reinier: 'They said, 'Kid, you took over the company so it's your choice.' They have never had any problem with it and are very proud of what we do here.'
How did that passion for hospitality come about and you decided to change tack?
Reinier: 'That's a tricky question, I didn't think of everything this way beforehand either.
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