When we leave the Brussels ring road for the green, rolling Pajottenland, our first stop is the Sir Kwinten restaurant. This restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star in November last year, which gave us immense satisfaction but at least as much appetite for what is yet to come. Owner Yanick Dehandschutter talks candidly about the past, present and future of his business.
Yanick is the second generation behind this successful catering business in Gooik. A few years ago he joined the business of his parents, who in the meantime have been concentrating on the other business, Feestzaal Het Krekelhof. Together with his brother Sam, they brought a new dynamic to the business. Within a few years, Yanick had won all the titles of “best sommelier” and transformed Sir Kwinten into a wine restaurant. Here, not only is wine pairing done, but the idea is that the co-creation of chef and sommelier strengthen each other. This approach is bearing fruit, lifting the quality and experience of Sir Kwinten to a higher level year after year.
Central to his approach is the choice of product. Yanick works according to the seasons, for ecological reasons but he also works with many local products. He does this both in the kitchen and in the glass. When it comes to wine, he starts from the belief that it is not always necessary to fly wine in from far away. That is why he has started planting his own vineyard (Dappersveld, n.v.d.r.) a few years ago. The last millésimes show the potential of a wine that is fully focused on the potential of the terroir of the Pajottenland.
Yanick says: “We are very happy to join an initiative like Local Exclusives as we also believe that we have and can deliver beautiful products locally. This initiative fits with our belief in a more sustainable society. The fellow partners of this platform often serve as a source of inspiration to us!
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