Sergio Herman – The Chef Behind Oud Sluis

One of the influential chefs based in Holland is Chef Sergio Herman.  His culinary skill has pushed his restaurant, Oud Sluis, to the top of one of the most prestigious award giving bodies in the culinary world, the S. Pellegrino list.  Right now, he has earned the 19th position for his restaurant.

He was born and raised in The Netherlands, and his family business has exposed him early on to kitchen duties and the hustle and bustle of the culinary industry.  They had a little barber shop that also serves as a café, and it was there that he has learned to love cooking.  He studied at a restaurant school to give his career a start, and he also apprenticed at some of the finest restaurants in the European continent; however, when his father took ill, he had to come home to manage the business for the family.

Armed with the culinary knowledge that he got during his studies and a love for food, he took the traditional dishes of his country and gave them his own twist.  He did not stop at just recreating the dishes though, but he began playing with the textures and flavors of the ingredients to come up with a more unique dish.  During his studies, he has learned about molecular gastronomy, and these he applied to his restaurant.

With only the freshest ingredients from his hometown, he began to make a name for himself through his culinary skills.  It was not long after that he began catering to food gourmands who loved his unique dishes, and because of this, he attracted the attention of food journalists and critics.  Pretty soon, he had his first Michelin star, and in 1999, he earned the third Michelin star.  Throughout his culinary career, Chef Herman earned not only the praises and recognition of his peers, critics, and diners, but he has also earned numerous awards for himself and for his restaurant, some of which include the Chef of the Year awards.  His restaurant has also been named for four times as the Best Restaurant in Netherlands, as given by Lekker which is the country’s restaurant guide.

His restaurant was also seen to be climbing steadily to the top of the S. Pellegrino list.  From the 42nd in 2008 to the 19th in 2010, it only goes to show that Chef Herman has so much more to offer his customers.

His restaurant keeps him busy nowadays, what with the massive interest that his awards have generated; however, Oud Sluis is not the only thing that demands his attention and time.

Earlier this year, Chef Herman, along with Joost van Sluitjers, a publisher at the EATZ as well as an adventurer, went on a sponsored trip to Africa’s Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park to study more about the local Bushmen community, especially when it comes to their cooking styles and traditions.  They stayed there for three days and shared cooking secrets as well as traded recipes.

Last August 2010, he also participated at the Antwerp Food Fair.  Here, he demonstrated his culinary expertise as well as gave tips on nutrition and on cooking.  The food fair is still ongoing as this will end on the 12th of December 2010, so if you want to catch a glimpse of some of the country’s best chefs, be sure to drop by the Antwerp Expo.  You just might catch Chef Herman and get to meet one of the country’s top chefs.

Chef Herman has is also working on a project with Professor Jeroen Lammertyn to create a very revolutionary plate.  If before chefs have to use thickening agents just so the droplets of pure flavor will be preserved and not be wasted as the liquid spreads around the plate, now, with these revolutionary plates, they hope to preserve the shape of the flavor droplet and manipulate it towards the food that will be intensified by the pure flavor through the plate’s built-in hydrophobic microchips and electrodes.  This is perfect for chefs like Chef Herman who loves molecular gastronomy, and this is also perfect for diners who enjoy this type of culinary technique.  This may sound so futuristic and expensive, but it will be a good addition to the culinary world.  Prototypes are still being perfected and refined at the Oud Sluis; however, it is being said that by the end of the year, these revolutionary plates will be available.

Image Credit: directoalpaladar.com

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