Star chef Soenil Bahadoer (57) has been bombarded with hundreds of reactions and reservations after he announced that two-star restaurant De Lindehof in Nuenen is closing. The restaurant will close on May 1, but the chef will continue. He remains vague about his future: “We are going to start a new chapter. I just want to go one level higher, have one more blast.” And is that in Brabant or internationally?
“Everything comes to an end, including this after thirty years,” Soenil begins as we enter his restaurant in Nuenen. “It is a great company, we have had a lot of success. But now it’s done.”
“I want to receive fewer guests.”
On May 1, De Lindehof will be celebrating its thirtieth anniversary. And exactly on that day, the doors of one of Brabant’s three two-star restaurants will close. “I have been able to build this up from the very beginning to the top. It’s just great. We have experienced a lot of joy and suffering here. From enormous successes to less pleasant things.”
“I will fully concentrate on the last guests in the coming months,” continues the star chef. “After that, a new chapter follows.”
Soenil Bahadoer thinks De Lindehof is outdated. “I can do a lot here, but it won’t get any bigger or different here. I have grown out of my depth here.” That does not mean that he will now cook for a huge audience. “I actually want to receive fewer guests to improve the quality even more. A new challenge.”
“I know what quality I can deliver and that I can get that star back.”
Is that a new challenge in Nuenen? “Uhm… Yes… Look… I signed a clause about that and I don’t want to say too much about it,” Soenil stammers. Will it be a challenge in Brabant? “Uhm… Yes… That’s possible.” Is it an international challenge? The chef laughs first. “Do you know what it is? Everything is possible. We are going to start a new chapter and we are going to do fun things again. I just want to level up, for my own challenge. I want to ensure that I get that energy, passion and drive again to continue.”
What that future will be remains very vague. “You shouldn’t give everything away. We will announce it in March, so you will be the first.”
By stopping De Lindehof, Soenil puts aside two Michelin stars. He received his first star in 2004 and a second star in 2014. “I’m giving up those stars at the moment, I don’t find that difficult. I know what quality I can deliver and that I can get that star back.” Secretly the star chef even hopes for three stars. “But first create something beautiful that everyone is proud of.”
“It has nothing to do with my ex.”
After the announcement that Soenil will stop in Nuenen, more than four hundred reservations were received. “That appreciation is nice. I started here as a boy and I have built De Lindehof up to an international level.”
Soenil’s story sounds like a boyhood dream, but things did not always go well for him. Until nine years ago, he owned De Lindehof together with his ex-wife. After the divorce, the two were unable to divide the assets, which led to years of conflict.
According to a regional newspaper, this would be the reason to stop De Lindehof. “That’s nonsense. It has nothing to do with my ex. This won’t happen overnight. I’ve been working on this for years. I’m now 57 and I want to have one more blast. In a new environment, with a new look.”
More about this story:
Soenil Bahadoer from restaurant De Lindehof in Nuenen was crowned Chef of the Year
The ex of a star chef is no longer allowed to post negative messages on Facebook