Jan Verhelst Email & Phone Number

Stationsstraat 33, 9810 Eke

In March 2002 Lotus Root opened its doors.The Cuisine is "California Inspired", a Highly personal cuisine combining fresh products, French techniques, Californian & Asian influences, based upon the Chef's Daily Inspiration. Caroline receives customers in a welcoming, informative way, ready to help with the wine choices. The Wine List is being built upon a series of interesting world wines and focuses especially on California.The restaurant was just admitted to the Jeunes Restaurateurs d' Europe.A group young, ambitious chefs that form a demanding community en continiously aims to renew. Through internal quality selection they belong with the European top range of chefs. The goal is to keep a continuous movement of the heritage of gastronomy, as well as to keep renew and tranfer upon others.

Through a constant evolution in the culinary scene, as well as through the experience I gained as a chef, I am aware how important it is to be flexible and innovative towards the trends and/or customer's demand. The continuous growing demand for support and advice lead up to this chapter.Culinary magazines, companies from the food segment, as well as the restaurant world, relied on my professional advice in the past, and belong therefore directly to my target audience.The portfolio of past projects include jobs in food styling, cooking demos , cooking classes, culinary advice about menus, food & wine pairing, ...

Jeunes Restaurateurs d'Europe: A group of young restaurateurs in Europe, consisting of 10 countries, about 350 members and over 185 Michelin stars.

Came on board to train & support the existing staff, helped developing their more precise skills, while preparing the opening of our own restaurant in Belgium. Helped transitioning one of the sous-chefs to take over as Executive chef.

Through Caroline, my wife, I had the opportunity to get to know and learn from Gakushin Yamakawa, "Nobu". A Japanese sushi-chef that taught me the skills of Sushi & Sashimi, Japanese Cuisine.First couple of months I spent in the back kitchen, when luck was on my side and I got to move up to the front sushi bar where I would start to learn the art of sushi.In about two years time I learned the basics, & more elaborate stuff, but I basically did everything at the side of Yamakawa-san. It was one of the best times I have had in the kitchen.The inspiration is still big today, and draws out the best of me just thinking back at those days. (The days that even on my wedding day I could not resist of going up to the sushi bar that Yamakawa-san had provided for us & started rolling sushi in my tux)

A2, Hotel

Handel