Maartje Boudeling (

Yerseke Yerseke (, Zeelandic: ) is a village situated on the southern shore of the Oosterschelde (Eastern Scheldt) estuary in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Zeeland. A separate municipality until 1970, it today forms part of the municipality of Reimers ...

, 29 January 1939) is a retired

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 ...

, known for her cooking in the

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 ...

red restaurant Inter Scaldes in

Kruiningen Kruiningen is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located in the municipality of Reimerswaal, about 5 km south of the village of Yerseke.''ANWB Topografische Atlas Nederland'', Topografische Dienst and ANWB, 2005. Kruiningen ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Boudeling went to school at the MULO in

, before studying in

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to become a hairdresser. After finishing that course, together with her sister, she opened ''Beauté'', a hairdresser's shop. This shop went very well, but she left after marrying Kees Boudeling in 1962. After her marriage, she started working in the family restaurant from her husband, located on the Rijksweg in Kruiningen. Building on what she had learned from her mother, she took over the kitchen. Quickly the couple realised that Maartje needed more training to realize their dream of creating a

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. So she started to learn French and moved over to

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for training, working in several restaurants, from the

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

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. Back home again, they started pursuing their dreams. Soon enough Boudelings cooking brought in so many customers that the restaurant became too small. By chance, a large villa in use by the

Royal Marechaussee The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee ( nl, Koninklijke Marechaussee, abbreviated to KMar) is the national gendarmerie force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, performing military and civilian police duties. It is also one of the two national pol ...

came up for sale and they too that opportunity. In 1968, they opened ''Inter Scaldes'' in the villa, where Boudelings cooking flourished. Believing in freshness of the ingredients, she refused to import ingredients to offer exclusive dishes. Instead, she orders all her fish and seafood and most of the vegetables local, sometimes ordering several times a day to maintain freshness. In 1978, Boudeling was awarded her first yearly

, exactly ten years after opening ''Inter Scaldes''. In 1984, she was awarded two Michelin stars. In 1992, Boudeling joined Les Patrons Cuisiniers (LPC) as patron-cuisinier. Earlier, in 1980, the restaurant had joined

Alliance Gastronomique Néerlandaise Alliance Gastronomique Néerlandaise (popular: ''Alliance Gastronomique'') is a culinary association of quality restaurants in the Netherlands and Flanders. The partnership was established in 1967 as a response to the spreading taste flattening, ...

but they moved away during the split that created the LPC. Kees and Maartje Boudeling sold the restaurant in 2001 to Claudia and Jannis Brevet, formerly owners of Helianthushof in

Uden Uden () is a town and former municipality in the province of North Brabant, Netherlands. Since 2022 it has been part of the new municipality of Maashorst. History Uden was first recorded around 1190 as "Uthen". However, earlier settlements h ...

. Boudeling is the creator and namesake of the culinary competition for the ''De Zilveren Oester/Maartje Boudeling Trofee'' (Eng.: The Silver Oyster/Maartje Boudeling Trophy), awarded since 2006. In 2007, Boudeling ended ninth in the List "Most inspiring chef of the past thirty years", compiled by the food guide ''Lekker''.

Awards

- 1 Michelin star: 1978-1983
- 2 Michelin stars: 1984-2001
- Nederlandse Gastronomieprijs NCK Uncle Ben's Ring: 1999
- ‘Ladychef of the year’: 2000
- Lady Chef of the Century
- Escoffier Price

: 2002

Bibliography

- 1998: ''Koken tussen de Scheldes''. Recipes Maartje Boudeling, text Fon Zwart.
- 1998: ''Zilt en Zoet. Zeeuwse zaligheden uit de keuken van Inter Scaldes''. Recipes Maartje Boudeling, text Jan Lagrouw, photos Kees Hageman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boudeling, Maartje 1939 births Living people Dutch women chefs Head chefs of Michelin starred restaurants People from Reimerswaal