Henk Savelberg (

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

, 11 July 1953) is a Dutch

head chef A chef de cuisine (, French for ''head of kitchen'') or head chef is a chef that leads and manages the kitchen and chefs of a restaurant or hotel. A chef patron (feminine form ''chef patronne'') (French for ''boss chef'') or executive chef is ...

. Up until now, he is the only head chef from the Netherlands awarded a

Michelin star The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...

in five different restaurants. Savelberg comes from a mining family of five children. At a young age he lost his mother, so he was mainly raised by his father and sister. He went to the hotel school in

Sittard Sittard (; ) is a city in the Netherlands, situated in the southernmost province of Limburg. The town is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen and has almost 37.500 inhabitants in 2016. In its east, Sittard borders the German municipali ...

. He trained, amongst others, in Kasteel Wittem (

Wittem Wittem (, ) is a small village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Gulpen-Wittem. History The village was first mentioned in 1125 as Witham, and means "means silted land in a bend in a waterway". Wittem develo ...

) and hotel Terminus (

Heerlen Heerlen (; li, Heële ) is a city and a municipality in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is the third largest settlement proper in the province of Limburg. Measured as municipality, it is the fourth municipality in the province of Limburg. ...

). When he was 17, he enlisted in the

Netherlands Marine Corps The Netherlands Marine Corps ( nl, Korps Mariniers) is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The marines trace their origins back to the establishment of the on 10 December 1665, by the then grand pensionary of the Dut ...

. During an exercise in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

he got frozen toes and as a consequence he had to leave the service.

Kitchen career

After leaving the Marines at age 20, he started working in the hospitality industry. His first employers were ''Bon Ton'' in

Scheveningen Scheveningen is one of the eight districts of The Hague, Netherlands, as well as a subdistrict (''wijk'') of that city. Scheveningen is a modern seaside resort with a long, sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier, and a lighthouse. The beach is po ...

, ''Nostaligia'' and ''La Grande Bouffe'' in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

, where he discovered the

Nouvelle Cuisine ''Nouvelle cuisine'' (; ) is an approach to cooking and food presentation in French cuisine. In contrast to cuisine classique, an older form of haute cuisine, nouvelle cuisine is characterized by lighter, more delicate dishes and an increased e ...

. He then went to France for work experience at Gérard Pangaud in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, Jan Pierre Bioux in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

and Le Chateau de Luca Lonnais in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

Star 1: De Graaf van het Hoogeveen

Back in the Netherlands, he started working at restaurant De Graaf van het Hoogveen. Here he was awarded his first Michelin star, in 1982. The restaurant had a Michelin star in the period 1982-1988.

Star 2: Seinpost

In 1983, Savelberg left ''De Graaf van het Hoogveen'' and moved over to restaurant ''

Seinpost __NOTOC__ ''Seinpost'' is a restaurant located in Scheveningen, Netherlands. It is a fine dining restaurant that was awarded one Michelin star in the periods 1985-1989 and 2006–present. It held a Bib Gourmand at least in the period 2001–2003. ...

'' in

. A company named "Tartuffe Holding", comprising Henk Savelberg and a group of friends, set up Restaurant Seinpost in 1983. In 1989, they started '' Vreugd en Rust'' and Savelberg moved. As a consequence of Savelberg leaving, ''Seinpost'' lost its star.

Star 3: Vreugd en Rust

After extensive renovations, Savelberg (and "Tartuffe Holding") opened restaurant-hotel Vreugd en Rust in 1989. He was not only head chef, but also part owner (23%) of the restaurant. In 1993, after a conflict with the other shareholders about the role of his wife Ingrid, he sold his share and left the restaurant. In 1990, Savelberg was awarded a Michelin star here. He retained the star until he left in 1993.

Intermezzo at the Golfclub

Due to protests from neighbours, the opening of a new restaurant in the villa Zorgvliet in The Hague was severely delayed. To keep busy and to train in his staff, Savelberg started working at ''Auberge De Vliethoeve'', the restaurant of a local golfclub in

Rijswijk Rijswijk (), formerly known as Ryswick ( ) in English, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Its population was in , and it has an area of , of which is water. The municipality also includes th ...

. In 1995, he gave up on Zorgvliet and moved back to Vreugd en Rust.

Star 4: Vreugd & Rust - Savelberg

In 1995, Savelberg returned to ''Vreugd en Rust'', now as owner of the restaurant. In 1997, he also bought the building and estate. Michelin awarded him a Michelin star from 1998 to present.

Star 5: Savelberg at Yenakart soi 2, Bangkok

In 2017 one star was awarded in the first ever to be published Michelin guide for Bangkok.

Les Patrons Cuiseniers

Henk Savelberg was one of the founders of Les Patrons Cuisiniers in 1991. He did this with other well known chefs:

Maartje Boudeling Maartje Boudeling (Yerseke, 29 January 1939) is a retired head chef, known for her cooking in the Michelin starred restaurant Inter Scaldes in Kruiningen, Netherlands. Boudeling went to school at the MULO in Yerseke, before studying in Rotterda ...

Paul Fagel Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

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John Halvemaan John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

Cees Helder Cees Helder (born 1948 in , North Holland) is a Dutch chef, former restaurant owner of Parkheuvel in Rotterdam. He was the first chief cook in the Netherlands to acquire three Michelin stars. Helder obtained his first Michelin star when he was ...

, Toine Hermsen, John Kern and

Emmanuel Mertens Immanuel ( he, עִמָּנוּאֵל, 'Īmmānū'ēl, meaning, "God is with us"; also romanized: , ; and or in Koine Greek of the New Testament) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the H ...

. Aims of the new organization were enhancing of the culinary level, more attention to the kitchen staff and the strengthening of friendship ties.

Awards

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

: Knighted in 2003. *

: 1982-1984 (Graaf van het Hoogveen), 1985-1989 (Seinpost), 1990-1993 (Vreugd en Rust), 1998-2012 (Savelberg) *

Wine Spectator ''Wine Spectator'' is an American lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture, and gives out ratings to certain types of wine. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertain ...

Grand Award: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998

Personal

Henk Savelberg was married with Ingrid. Later, he married Diana. In 2007, Savelberg underwent heart surgery to correct a birth defect. It took him years to recover from that, and even more time to accept that he had to take a step back.

Bibliography

* 2012: ''Jongeren koken met Henk Savelberg''; Henk Savelberg and Brijder Jeugd * 2006: ''Savelberg : restaurant-hotel''; Kees Hageman, Jan Lagrouw, Henk Savelberg, Kim MacLean; Inmerc * 2003: ''Aspergeschalen 1850-1940 : Collectie Juffermans, Utrecht''; Jan Juffermans, with recipes of Henk Savelberg and others; Catalog for the exhibition at the Kunsthal Rotterdam in 2003; V+K * 1999: ''Savelberg 2000''; Henk Savelberg, John Smarius, et al. * 1989/1991: ''De kookkunst van Henk Savelberg : de vier seizoenen van Vreugd en Rust''; Henk Savelberg, Rien van der Helm, Hanke Smit-de Berg, et al.; Van DishoeckWorldCat - De kookkunst van Henk Savelberg
/ref> * 1985-1986: ''Lekker koken, zo doe je dat, 't hele jaar door''; Hans Belterman and Henk Savelberg; 4 volumes; Van Dishoeck

References

External links

Photo Henk Savelberg in De Graaf van het Hoogveen, 1982
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savelberg, Henk 1953 births Living people Dutch chefs Head chefs of Michelin starred restaurants People from Gulpen-Wittem