HOSPITALITY
Stars rising in the East The rise of Amsterdam Oost and the story of how three entrepreneurs used hospitality to change an entire neighborhood for the better. Words by HANNAH FĂLLENKEMPER Pictures by ALAN DANIEL ARCHUTOWSKI
Anyone will tell you: Amsterdam Oost (East) wasnât a
Seven years later, they have gone from strength to
place to take the kids. It was a backwater chock-full of
strength. We spoke to Riad Farhat, one-third of the
the sort of stores you didnât feel anyone really wanted
Wise Men, about how it all started.
you to enter. Not anymore, thoughânot when so much places where you buy coffee that says something about
Who are the Three Wise Men of the East and how did you meet?
your personality.
I met Jason Berg in 1997. We used to work in a cafĂŠ
All that remains of the Oost of yesterday is an eagerness
called CafĂŠ Elsa in Oost, which was owned by Piet van
to speak of it in the same breath as Berlin: a city
der Graaf. We worked there about 10 to 12 years, starting
symbol of cool rising out of ethnic stores and concrete.
off as busboys at 17 and moving up. The whole time we
Trouw, Amsterdamâs most convincing stab at a bit of
were getting an education without even knowing it. We
Berlin, has moved out; and Amsterdamâs most expensive
formalized this when we studied Hotel Management in
effort at being a bit of Berlin, the Volkshotel, has moved
The Hague and continued to work on the weekends.
of Oost has become about brunch, craft beers, and
in. The Student Hotel accommodates all the kids that
Then, when we got a bit older and started to think about
have flocked to the Wibautstraat (since when?),
our futures, we thought maybe it was time to start our
pretending they are in Berlin; a second building is set
own business. We loved what we did, so why not take
to open in early 2016.
it to the next level? We both did internships (me in
It wasnât always like this. Amsterdam, already small,
Mumbai, Jason in Shanghai) and when we returned, we
used to be a lot smaller because of the fact no one ever
started talking about having our own bar.
really considered going further east thanâperhapsâ my boyfriend was looking to buy a house, Oost was
CafĂŠ Maxwell on Beukenplein was your first stab at Oost, correct?
what Noord is now: cheap and far. Now, itâs the new
Yes. We opened Maxwell when we were 27âbut it
frontier for any would-be cafĂŠ, bar, or shop owner.
wasnât as easy as that. Our schooling was expensive and
But before we all got there, the Three Wise Men of
we both had a lot of debt. Weâd found the spot in 2007
the East did. Jason Berg, Riad Farhat, and Piet van
but the bank wouldnât finance us without collateral. So
der Graaf said, âLet us set up shop in Oost.â And it
we went back to our old mentor and employer, Piet, and
was good.
asked him for advice. Turns out he was up for a new
the start of the Wibautstraat. Even five years ago, when
AMSTERDAM
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