A Dutch Chef Makes His Mark

SLUIS, The Netherlands -- When culinary adventurers set off on a voyage, the Netherlands used to be among the least appetizing possible destinations.

Almost all Dutch meals consisted of soggy fish, overcooked meat, boiled potatoes and bland cheese, often washed down with a glass of milk, or at best, cheap wine. A dour Protestant tradition seemed responsible. Only a few miles away, Dutch-speaking Belgians, Roman Catholics, reveled in restaurants featuring a wonderful mixture of French style and German-size portions.

But over the past few years, interest in fine food has soared in the Netherlands and the country no longer is a gastronomic desert. In a strange way, the lack of culinary traditions has allowed Dutch chefs to think out of the box and experiment. Leading this avant-garde wave is Restaurant Oud-Sluis in the village of Sluis, population 6,500.

"In Belgium and France, there is such a heavy food culture," says Oud-Sluis chef Sergio Herman, a 37-year-old magician at the ovens who looks the bohemian part: a baby-face flanked by a shock of long, wavy black hair falling almost to his shoulder. "In Holland, it's different: Since we have no culture for food, we are free."

	Restaurant Oud-Sluis
	Photo: Oud-Sluis

His success has caused a reverse migration. Instead of the Dutch heading south for a good meal, Belgians now head north. Oud Sluis is located just over the Belgian border, only a few miles north of the medieval city of Bruges and a few miles west of the fancy seaside resort of Knokke.

Sluis itself is a charming Dutch market town, clean and tidy. Herman's restaurant is in the center, in a small, one-story building, originally a farmhouse and later a merchant home. The restaurant consists of two cozy rooms with 12 tables, seating a total of about 35 for each meal. Behind, there's a sparkling modern kitchen half hidden. Décor is simple and warm; this is no baroque palace but a clean, well-designed modern Dutch home.

Herman's Spanish name reflects far-off Spanish ancestry; Madrid ruled this part of the world some 500 years ago. Herman himself was born and raised here in the Netherlands. His grandparents ran a barber shop and small café in the building. His father transformed it into a simple fish restaurant. After his father became ill in 1990, he asked his son to return home.

Sergio had attended restaurant school and trained at some haute cuisine restaurants, notably under Catalan superstar Ferran Adria. He was inspired by Adria's avant-garde "molecular" cooking, as well as the work of England's Hector Blumenthal. Instead of just revisiting traditional recipes, these chefs specialize in surprising mixes of herbs and spices, creating new textures and tastes, often using foams and spectacular chemical reactions to create theater on the plate. In 1995, Herman gained his first Michelin star. The second followed in 1999 and the ultimate third came two years ago.

	Sergio Herman at Work
	Photo: Oud-Sluis