According to Van Damme, his father was a driving force behind the scenes of his restaurant. “You were also somewhat my chief of The Gesture”, he continues. “The peeled, fresh shrimp, the flowers, the herbs arranged by size and color and the perfectly peeled tomatoes, they all came from your hand.”
On April 1, the chef closes the doors of his business for renovations. “I will open the doors again on June 4th and I wish you and Mom were my first guests. Now I will have one empty seat. And I will leave it that way the first day so that you will still be there. Know that we are going to make something beautiful out of it! I showed you the plans and you said, “I thought you were going to stop.” I laughed and you were quiet. Your look said: you just do it, but also think of yourself! Papa, I will make sure that you will be proud from above and that I can continue your disciplines. Have a nice trip, dear papa.”