Lars Otto from Assen picks loiterers off the street and puts them to work in his restaurant

Barely able to cook and still start a restaurant. Lars Otto from Assen did it. In the summer he started Ottie’s and since then he has been distributing healthy meals throughout Assen. He needed employees to deliver those meals, which he managed to find in an unusual way.

Marinated chicken, sliced ​​tomatoes and grilled chickpeas are on the countertop of the kitchen in the Composer community building. Last June, Lars Otto started his own takeaway and delivery restaurant here, in the Noorderpark district of Asser.

He is busy serving rice and fresh vegetables in a bowl, while he explains how he came up with this idea. “I used to work from home and I ordered a lot of food. The unhealthy food eventually came out of my nose,” says the young chef. “But there is little healthy supply here in Assen, so I thought ‘let me try that myself’.”

But the 26-year-old Assenaar had no experience with cooking. “I practiced a lot at home to see what tasty combinations are. For example, I googled and watched videos to learn how to make the perfect rice. I also looked up cutting techniques and discovered how to properly marinate proteins.”

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