For a year we followed eight talents from Drenthe and Groningen on their path to success. 2023 was indeed the year of Thomas Beekhuis, Okkie Poortvliet, Julian Bushoff, Katayoon Valamanesh, Vincent Voet, Joris Koops, Annelin Bakker and Jules ten Velde.
Thomas Beekhuis: From Rooftop Merckt to Savor to the unknown
He started the year as a chef at Rooftop Merckt in the center of Groningen, moved halfway through the year with his pans and knives to Haren for Restaurant Savor and ended with an empty tray in front of him. “It was a very intensive year. I have discovered that I should make less hasty decisions,” says chef Thomas Beekhuis.
Beekhuis worked at Savor for almost six months under catering couple Jaap and Trijntje Braaksma. “It seemed like a great opportunity, but it didn’t click enough with Jaap and Trijntje. Maybe I let myself pack in too much.”
Now he’s taking it easy for a while. Celebrating holidays with his family. “This is important. In the catering industry it is sometimes difficult to make enough time for family. I have a complicated home situation with a severely autistic son. So I just want to find a nice place for next year where I can express my talents.” And no, it is not really normal to change jobs in the catering industry so often.
Beekhuis is now having cautious discussions with Mr. Mofongo and the owners of Pachamama and Florentin, among others. “And when our sons are older, my wife and I are going to start our own restaurant.”
Okki Poortvliet: her own place everywhere
In the nature of Odoorn, in its breeding ground in Haren or in the student life of Bristol. This year, filmmaker and student Okki Poortvliet (24) turned her natural environment into her own place. In just a few years, the multi-talented artist delivered seven films that were, without exception, appreciated by critics, professional juries, but especially by the subjects themselves.
This year, together with creative friends Vera Vos and Hans van der Werf, she put an exclamation point behind the search for the soul of her homeland with the performance and film Drenthe Flag Raisers. Okki’s movie About the cattle grid turned out to be the ultimate eye-catcher of the outdoor exhibition Into Nature .
After a barrage of productions, the jack-of-all-trades went to the University of Bristol for a few months to deepen her philosophy studies. Now she is back in Odoorn with a pile of assignments and grant applications. And that is good news for the North. Because wherever Okki goes, we prefer to have her close to home.
Okki about her year: “It was a year of raising flags (together) for me: a lot of Drenthe, Groningen and English.”
Julian Bushoff: away with the most preferential votes in the North
Last year, 26-year-old Julian Bushoff from Groningen switched from the municipal council to the House of Representatives and received a high spot on the GroenLinks-PvdA electoral list. He received the most preferential votes of the northern candidates in the elections on November 22.
The right-wing election victory was a setback for the left-wing parties, dwarfing the gain of ten seats for GroenLinks-PvdA. But it wasn’t a bad year for Bushoff personally. He immediately managed to make a name for himself in parliament and during election debates.
“The year 2023 was special for me,” says Bushoff. “I am happy with my representative role, which I have been able to fulfill for people with long Covid, for regional hospitals and to prevent foreign investors from taking over our care. It is also a great responsibility to fight for social security, for Groningen and to regain the once red strongholds.”
Katayoon Valamanesh: more creative due to lack of time and money
Artist Katayoon Valamanesh (33) looks back with satisfaction on the past year. “For me, 2023 was all about opportunities. Opportunities to further develop my art and opportunities to share my work with more people. I have garden of Eden finished. That is the video installation for which I received the Hendrik de Vries stipend. I have also completed two smaller projects that can be seen in Assen and Tilburg.”
She has learned important lessons this year, she thinks. In this way she has become more realistic about the balance between ideas and possibilities. She found it difficult to adjust (read: reduce) initial ideas, but sometimes that has to be done.
“On the one hand, I feel like I can’t bring my art to fruition due to lack of time and money, but on the other hand, those kinds of restrictions make me more creative.” Next year will be all about finding financing for new projects and further developing her skills in working with certain materials.
Vincent Voet: one step closer to biodegradable plastic
Scientist Vincent Voet (36) from Haren is working at NHL Stenden in Emmen to solve a global problem: the plastic waste mountain. This year, his team has taken major steps towards sustainable, degradable and recyclable plastic.
To achieve this, Voet ‘tinkered’ with molecules. Of course, together with his research group. “It has grown. In numbers, but especially in quality.”
One of the latest studies revolves around biodegradable yarns. “They are used for clothing. The challenge is that the yarns are strong enough to make clothing, but that they are still biodegradable.”
Voet is making progress, but he and his team are not there yet.
Last week he and his son put some compost from the garden in a bin. To use three biodegradable plastic cups, which will eventually break down completely and ‘absorb’ naturally into the compost.
“To my horror, those small scoops of compost also contained pieces of non-degradable plastic. They blow straight into the garden. So yes, there are challenges, but I am really optimistic.”
Joris Koops
Joris Koops (27) from start-up Bypoint has made great progress this year. His company, which launched a fall detection system for cyclists last year, has overcome a few important hurdles. The device sounds an alarm with a text message when a cyclist falls. The contact persons specified in advance are informed exactly where the fall occurred, so that help can be provided quickly.
“There are now just over 150 stores that sell our product. We recently signed a contract with an important wholesaler in the Netherlands in the field of bicycle parts. We were also allowed to have a stand at trade fairs as a partner of the ANWB. And we are working on new products, such as an innovative bicycle helmet, so that we have a wider range. We really need to become the bicycle safety brand,” Koops sums up.
“We have actually achieved most of our expectations. We are growing, becoming more known and working together more. And, before I forget: we’re crossing the border. We have the first six points of sale in Germany. And five in Belgium. And there are more countries in Europe where cycling is common. I think we will continue to grow next year. Plenty of opportunities.”
Annelin Bakker: a rollercoaster with a fitting ending
Tennis player Annelin Bakker (18) had an almost bizarre 2023, her first full year as a prospective tennis professional. After a tough series of tournaments in South America, in which her self-confidence took a hit, she tried to reach the level of the international professional tour. In July she had her best tournament week in Amstelveen, in which she reached the last sixteen and joined the global top 1000, her first goal this year.
But then there was a sudden threat of a sudden end to her tennis career that had just started. The woman from Haren suffered a stress fracture twice and ultimately had to undergo a scan to check whether her body could withstand top tennis. Fortunately, the answer was yes.
Bakker started playing tennis again and performed very surprisingly at the Dutch Championship last month, where she reached both the singles and doubles finals. “It was a fitting end to a year that I really experienced as a rollercoaster.”
Jules ten Velde: fashion collection hangs from Japan to California
They often say it in sports: what is good comes quickly. That cliché fully applies to Jules ten Velde (29), but in the field of fashion. In March he would present his own collection for the first time in Paris. But due to extensive interest from the Japanese fashion label Comme des Garçons, Jules already did so in January.
Big boss Rei Kawakubo (81), seen by many as one of the most influential designers of recent decades, came to personally inspect his collection of white dresses. A few months later, Jules flew to Japan to see his work hanging in the store.
A second major customer followed in September: A’maree’s, a very expensive boutique in California. The white dresses that Jules designs will also be on the shelves there, with four-figure price tags. Before the comma, indeed.
Designing is second nature to Jules, but now he also has to delve into the business side. It is one of the challenges for 2024.
The past year was one full of highlights and victories: “I have learned a lot about myself, business and the world and I am very curious about what else is possible.”