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A highly versatile chef
Seppe Nobels is brimming with ideas and
always approaches new projects with
great enthusiasm. Before running his own
restaurant, he spent four years in France
and Italy working with Michelin-star
master chefs. In recent years, he has
published five cookbooks and worked as
a TV chef on a wide variety of programmes
in Belgium and the Netherlands.
He is delegating more and more
responsibilities to his kitchen brigade at
Graanmarkt 13 with a view to taking the
role of Executive Chef, which will give him
more time to spend with his family. It will
also give him more time and freedom to
devote to new adventures, such as his role
as culinary advisor to boutique hotel Santa
Clara 1728 in Lisbon and joint initiator of
the redevelopment of Chateau De La
Chapelle near Liège. Seppe is also an
urban beekeeper and gardener, with a
vegetable and herb garden on the roof of
his restaurant in Antwerp.
Green Michelin star
‘Graanmarkt 13 is a concept store with a
restaurant, an apartment, a shop, a gallery and
a wonderful backstory. We've been honoured
with prizes and showered with praise on
numerous occasions,’ says Seppe Nobels.
And at the beginning of 2021, Graanmarkt 13
added a green Michelin star to its lengthy
honours list. The green Michelin star was
created to recognise chefs who prioritise
vegetables and work towards a sustainable
future. ‘I was the first chef in Belgium to receive
this award. This has never been something
I worked towards, as I cook for people, not for
awards. Still, it's a great honour and wonderful
recognition for our kitchen staff, our quest for
sustainability, our character and our vision.
Vegetables are central to my dishes – I only
add fish or meat when absolutely necessary.
We believe that every dish must be perfect,
and everyone who works for me must go the
extra mile every single day. It has to be your
greatest passion. This gives cooking a special
feeling and takes it to a higher level.’
Opportunities for
newcomers
Instroom – Seppe's latest and possibly most
eye-catching initiative – perfectly blends
together everything that Seppe stands for:
passion, vegetables and sustainability. ‘I heard
about a combined learning and working project
by Gatam to help non-Dutch speakers access
the labour market and I decided to get involved.
Instroom was partly funded by the Municipality
of Antwerp and the Flemish government
agency that helps citizens with their career
development. The goal is to help people from
migrant backgrounds, who worked in a kitchen
or even ran their own restaurant, to find a
suitable career.
Accelerating the job search
Firstly, we want to prepare 14 newcomers –
often refugees – to work at Instroom. They will
start with completing an intensive six-week
course, during which we will prepare local
produce in a way that is inspired by their
cooking techniques. In this way, we'll be
creating completely original dishes. To ensure
maximum focus, we'll split the participants up
into groups of three, and each group will be
assigned a mentor. This mentor will be an
experienced professional from the local catering
sector, who will support and encourage the
participants and help accelerate their search for
a job. Subsequently, we will open the doors of
our pop-up restaurant for a period of eight
weeks to provide guests with a unique culinary
experience. The menu will be made up of 2 or 3
dishes created by each of the 14 participants.
We hope to attract a lot of restaurant owners,
so that they can see and taste for themselves
exactly what these people can do.’
Unique culinary academy
‘We listen carefully to the participants' stories
and greatly value their knowledge and skills.
Everyone inspires each other and works
incredibly hard. My head is brimming with new
ideas. I've inspired a lot of people over the
years and continue to do so, but it's also
important to me that I help people.
We're currently in the pilot phase, and if it's a
success, the project will continue with a fresh
set of participants and the aim of developing
into a unique culinary academy.’ This restaurant
also kills two birds with one stone, as it is
getting increasingly difficult to find highly skilled
and enthusiastic chefs in Belgium. As a result,
the new arrivals may bring some much-needed
new talent into the Antwerp culinary scene.
The way to the heart is
through the stomach
‘I don't know if I'd call myself gutsy, but I'm
certainly not one to follow in other people's
footsteps. That's never been how I do things.
Since 2009, I have been intensively focusing on
healthy and sustainable food and promoting the
interests of Belgian farmers who deserve better
pay for their produce. I know better than most
that the way to someone's heart is through
their stomach, and I'm convinced that seeing
and tasting what other cultures can do in the
kitchen will help people see these cultures in a
different light and learn to value them. I firmly
believe this. The decision to set up Instroom
and to focus on vegetables was mine and mine
alone. I've never been one to take the safe
choice, and I don't subscribe to herd mentality.’
As far as Seppe Nobels is concerned, you have
to believe in yourself and take concrete action.
Seppe follows his heart, and when he sets
himself a mission, he commits to it 100%.
If you would like to know more about
Seppe Nobels and what drives him,
visit seppenobels.be.
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