'Every Sunday evening I cook at home for and with my family. Then they talk all evening and have fun. That's what cooking and eating for me is all about: being together and enjoying.'
Bart De Pooter has been behind the cooking pots in restaurant de Pastorale in Reet for 26 years. In 2003 he was awarded a Michelin star and since 2006 he has been awarded two stars. Head of the year Gault Milau 2012. Recently I also received the award for best vegetable restaurant of 2018. "Of course I am very proud of what I have already achieved. It gives me energy, together with my fantastic team, to give the best of ourselves every day. Because it remains my ambition to win this third star. We visited the chef at his home and were allowed to join him at the table.
If you cook at top level five days a week in the Pastorale, do you still feel like standing behind the pots at home?
"Certainly and surely. Sunday and Monday are the closing days of the restaurant. Every Sunday evening I cook for my family. This is a weekly tradition that is not deviated from here. I live with my parents and also my daughters Karen (22) and Jolien (24) join in at the table with great pleasure. Sometimes friends come along or there are other family members of the party. It is always a pleasant affair. I think it's important that everyone is involved and helps, so I put them to work: making snacks, cutting vegetables, setting the table... After all, that's what cooking and eating is all about: being together, doing, talking, communicating. We often get a board game out of the closet after dinner. I deliberately don't wear an apron that evening because I want to fully enjoy that fun family moment. For a moment I'm not a chef."
What does the pot at home De Pooter buy on Sunday evening?
"The menu always includes a one-pan meal because I think that the flavours of the different ingredients are best served. Just like in the restaurant, vegetables are central, combined with a fine piece of meat or fish. A classic at Christmas are sprouts with truffles. And if someone has his birthday, he or she can of course choose what will be on the table. There are few things that my family members do not like. They are all epicureans who love good and tasty food."
What do you prefer to eat?
"I love a salad of fresh peas with some onion. I can also enjoy a delicious farm chicken enormously. As far as possible I cook with vegetables and herbs from my own garden. I love simple, pure dishes. I don't use a whole arsenal of special 'attributes' here at home. Only my Thermomix I can't miss anymore."
What do you eat on a weekday working day?
"I start the day with a breakfast of oatmeal, sometimes with some yoghurt or fruit. This gives me a lot of energy until noon. My lunch is usually soup or a salad. In the evening I eat my dinner for the service, starring many vegetables and a piece of meat or fish. My working days in Pastorale are long, especially until midnight, so I think it's important to eat healthy."
You do indeed work a lot in the restaurant. Do you still see your daughters often enough then?
"Sure and sure... because I'm lucky they work with me. The youngest, Karen, studied architecture, but after 4 years she decided that she wanted to work together in the restaurant. She is in charge of the service and she does an excellent job. Jolien, my eldest daughter, graduated in hotel management. So she makes sure everything runs smoothly. It's great to be able to do this together with them - and with the rest of my top team, of course. It creates an intense bond. I may be harder for my daughters than for other employees, but that's because I have a bond with them for life. By the way, my mother also spent ten years in the kitchen of the Pastorale. That happened by chance. In the early days of the restaurant I had a large group of 24 people on the floor. I didn't feel comfortable and called my mother last minute to help me out of need. She came, she cooked... and she never left again. We still live together now. My father has been in need of help for years, so I am glad that, despite my busy life, I can often be close to him."
Today there are more and more people who eat vegetarian or have a certain allergy. Is that a challenge for a chef?
"I don't think so. In Pastorale, vegetables are the basis of all dishes anyway. We have several menus where people can choose from meat, fish and vegetables. Everyone is welcome with us. I also notice that we are getting more and more younger people on the floor. Many people in their thirties and forties nowadays like to pay a bit more for pure, quality dishes and I think that's a positive evolution. By the way, ier is not a 'stiff affair' at all, as you might expect from a two-star shop. I want to create a real home feeling in the Pastorale, a bit like here in the kitchen. First and foremost, food should be cosy. I also like the fact that this younger audience takes pictures of the dishes and shares them on social media. That doesn't bother me at all. On the contrary, I see it as a form of recognition. It is nice that you can show your friends afterwards what you have eaten? Then you can also enjoy it yourself. I also do it myself, when I go somewhere to eat."
Do you still have time to go to a restaurant or for other hobbies?
"We are closed on Sundays and Mondays and I often go cycling. I also like to ski. And I try to travel a lot. That is obviously equivalent to a lot and good food, or what did you think? Once we have 20 days in Catalonia visited 58 restaurants. That was there what about, 12000 km in the car and I was almost ten pounds gained (laughs). In Antwerp I like to eat at Bún. I really like Asian cuisine anyway, because I have lived in Japan for 160 days. A great experience!"
Do you have dreams for the future?
"I already have two stars and I would like a third one anyway, I do not hide that ambition. Thanks to my top team in the restaurant, I also have time to focus on other things, which I find very interesting. I have my own company in the import and export of quality meat, I am a consultant for hotels and this summer I'm back at Tomorrowland... I still learn every day and I want to keep it that way. Yes, I am a satisfied and happy person."
