Dimitri Roels

With you it’s not just about wheat, sea salt and water…

‘ No matter if it’s for the orange juice or fruit salad at breakfast, the fruits tarts, salads, smoothies or juices: at our Bakers Cafes, fruit is very important. At the moment everything is fresh from the land. From the Lambada strawberries to the nectarines and figs. During the winter we’re forced to work with exotics, but in September there’s so much delicious fruit from Holland.’

Times are also good for vegetables, right?

‘Absolutely! On our new menu, which starts in October, we have a salad of shaved fennel, beech mushrooms, marinated in olive oil and lemon juice, flageolet and paksoi, made with vinaigrette of sushi vinegar. Underneath there’s curry mayonnaise. In other words, it’s deliciously fresh, but also spicy in combination with the crispiness from the vegetables. One of our new sandwiches is the one with pulled chicken, rice and celery and flavors like curry mayonnaise, spicy sriracha-sauce, kimchi and flakes of furikake on top. And a little bit of watercress to finish it all off. It’s the favorite sandwich of the bakers wife.’

What do you love yourself?

‘Classic preparations. Poached young leeks in vinaigrette like you eat them in France. A dish i ate last time and will never forget, is the baba ganoush from Air Republic in Cadzand. It was nice and fresh, but still had that typical roasted flavors. That’s because the eggplant was well heated. You could taste the burned bitterness, that typical smoked flavor. In America, they bake their bread 30% longer than we do in the Netherlands. That’s an absolute no go here. If i will ever do that, it will come right back to me. Sourdough close to burned with a lump of butter… Nothing better than that! That taste in unreal.

What i also like, is artichoke. Very simple: poached and with the leaves off in a dipping sauce. Fruit wise: peaches. Poached and with vanilla sauce, which you heat up slowly. With home made vanilla ice-cream and shaved almonds. Pêche Melba: you can always wake me up for that. A dish doesn’t have to be complicated or artificial. I love this kind of pure, simple flavors.’

But with quality products…

‘I have been a cook for many years. From the moment i became chef at La Duchesse in Schiedam, i work with the fruits and vegetables from Rungis. They’re always on time: logistics just makes sense. We have to with 15 Bakers Cafes in October. And for another reason: Rungis is constant. They make sure to provide the correct oranges for our orange juice. Sweet and with the right brix content. Rungis is a true specialist. Always on top of new products and always super fresh. It’s one of the best, if not the best, vegetable suppliers of the Netherlands.’