INTERVIEW: RUDOLPH VAN VEEN, CHEF
In the Balkans I found a hidden treasure chest
The most important ingredient for every chef to add to any dish is love. For me, an ordinary muffin or a bowl of freshly picked and washed tomatoes represent pure manifestations of love R udolph van Veen had a boyhood dream - to become a chef. And he realised that dream. He completed culinary school, worked as a head chef in Switzerland, and won national and international culinary competitions. He became one of the most popular Dutch television chefs, and we also fell in love with him here in Serbia, thanks to the numerous treats he’s taught us about, but also due to the irresistible smile that doesn’t leave his face while he’s cooking and which states unequivocally that, for him, cooking is pure happiness and reciprocated love... You were just a boy when you began spending time in the kitchen. What’s the source of your affinity for cooking? “When I was 11 years old there was a TV show with a famous host in which you had to guess the kind of work some people do. I remember that there was one man who turned out to be the executive chef of the Royal Palace in the Netherlands. So, a chef. He was standing in the studio wearing white clothes and with his big chef’s hat, and he resembled a magician. I then asked my parents for the first time: “Could I become a chef?”, because I was completely blown away by his appearance. I want- ed to be him. Already at the age of 12 I was allowed to attend culinary school, and that’s where it all started.” Your father, who was a sailor, developed your interest in the world. Can food be a way to get to know that world in the proper way? “As you said, my father was a sailor. He sailed on the route between the Netherlands and America and was rarely at home, just a few months a year. But when he was there he always had interesting stories about exot- ic places around the world, in which he would describe to us the most interesting dishes he’d tried on his trav-
Deca kao mali kuvari Posle duže pauze vraćate se na TV ekrane. Šta nas očekuje? – Tako je. Prvo smo se vratili sa šestom sezonom Rudolfove pe - kare , a potom na kanalu 24 Kitchen utorkom u 13 gledamo i emi- siju Rudolfova pekara: Mali pekari . Došao sam na ideju da po- zovem 20 mladih entuzijasta, odnosno dece od sedam do 17 godina. Klinci koje smo ugostili u ovih 20 epizoda su zaista div- ni, a neki od njih uspeli su da me iznenade. Recimo Džesi, ko- ja trenutno živi u Holandiji, ali je poreklom iz Portugala, došla je u emisiju sa receptom za slatkiš za koji u životu nisam čuo. Zove se oranž-rolada i ona mi je pomogla da ga napravim. Jedino mi je žao što nismo ugostili nikoga iz Srbije i sa Balkana, ali verujem da će se i to uskoro dogoditi. CHILDREN AS LITTLE CHEFS You are returning to TV screens after a long break. What awaits us? “That’s right. We first returned with the sixth season of Rudolph’s Bakery, then on the 24 Kitchen channel on Tuesdays at 1pm we also watch the show Rudolph’s Bakery: Little Bakers. I came up with the idea of inviting 20 young enthusiasts, or children aged from seven to 17. The kids we hosted in these 20 episodes are really wonderful, and some of them managed to surprise me. For example, Jesse, who currently lives in the Netherlands but is originally from Portugal, came to the show with a recipe for a treat that I’d never heard of in my life. It’s called an orange roulade, and she helped me make it. My only regret is that we didn’t host anyone from Serbia and the Balkans, but I believe that will also happen soon.”
Interview » Intervju | 25
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