Taste of HTH Magazine

Magazine 1929 - 2014: Celebrating 85 years Hotelschool The Hague

ANNIVERSARY 1929

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2014

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At the heart of hospitality Hotelschool The Hague opened its doors on 11th November 1929 in Hotel Mathilde Maria on the Gevers Deynootweg, Scheveningen. The school, started by industry for industry, was then known as the Horecaf Vakschool. In nearly a century, the former small, vocational Dutch school has been transformed into a specialised, international business school with students from over 50 nationalities, based over two campuses in The Hague and Amsterdam.

Hotelschool The Hague offers world class Bachelor and Master programmes, a Research Centre and Consultancy & Training services, and 85 years later, we can be very proud of what we have accomplished. Today, Hotelschool The Hague is renowned for it’s quality approach to education and is consistently ranked amongst the Top 5 Hospitality Management Schools in the World.

We are pleased to mark our 85th anniversary with the Taste of Hotelschool The Hague, a culinary celebration of our talented students and Alumni. This magazine is dedicated to an ambitious, dedicated group of Hospitality Entrepreneurs who agreed to be part of our celebrations. These stories will be inspiring to all of us, from our current students to our dedicated Faculty, to our growing base of talented Alumni.

We are so very proud of our Alumni who occupy leading positions in hospitality and hospitality related industries working as Hospitality Leaders, Hospitality Entrepreneurs, Consultants and Management Specialists across the globe.

Our Alumni are our greatest asset as they represent and maintain our legacy and reputation as one of the great Hotel Schools of the world.

Let us celebrate this very important milestone, remembering that as a community we define the future of hospitality.

Because together, we can and we will make an important difference.

Susanne Stolte President Board of Directors, Hotelschool The Hague

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Quotes Faculty & Students

Instagram

Sponsors

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Magazine Table of Contents Smokey Goodness, Jord Althuizen GreenAge, Sascha de Lint GoalGetters, Henk-Jan Kakebeen Andrew Nicholls, Andrew Nicholls 17th Floor (Ramada), Boudewijn Martens Kitschmann Currywurst, Hein Kitschmann ManicOrganic, Laurens van Luin Wijnkoperij Okhuysen, Xavier Kat Waterkant & de Biertuin, Riad Farhat Quotes Faculty & Staff Quotes Students RIJKS, Joris Bijdendijk The Harbour Club, Richard van Leeuwen Pasta e Basta,Vivian van Hees-Onel SD Trading, Thomas Kasha Caipi Boys, Tim Conyn & Yaron Menneken De Vrienden van Jacob, Bernard Lensink Olijfbedrijf, Gregor Christiaans Quality Bartending, Mark Horné Kruid & Druif, Marloes de Bruijn Instagram Grizzl, Philip Paternotte Karsten & Kuiper, Dirk Karsten Wijnimport J. Bart, Ibert van der Waal Zensybar, Sylvie Meijer Restaurant De Kraai, Simon Spanjer The Hospitalitist, Maarten Vooijs EARTH Concepts, Lucas Schopmans DasEis., Matthias Schenek Kwast Wijnkopers, Martijn Kwast Hugo’s, Florian Stallinga Sponsors

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8-9 10-11 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 20-21 22-23 24-25 26 27 28-29 30-31 32-33 34-35 36-37 38-39 40-41 42-43 44-45 46-47 48-49 50-51 52-53 24-55 56-57 58-59 60-61 62-63 64-65 66-67 68-69

Programme

16.00 – 21.30 Taste of Hotelschool The Hague 16.30 The magic behind pairing food and wine Okhuysen en De Vrienden van Jacob Auditorium 16.30 Taste of Rum - Caribbean Tour Andrew Nicholls Room 0.15 17.30 Chef’s Theatre Joris Bijdendijk, Martijn Kwast and Vivian van Hees- Onel Auditorium 17.30 Olive Oil Workshop Gregor Christiaans Room 0.09 18.30 Chef’s Theatre Sascha de Lint (first Master Chef Holland winner) and Ibert van der Waal Auditorium 19.00 Speech by Susanne Stolte, President Board of Directors

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ANNIVERSARY 1929

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otelschool The Hague was founded and funded in 1929 by the industry to create a central place where industry partners could gain and share new insights, skills and knowledge in the field of hospitality. The first programme contained 15 courses including French, German, English, accounting and meat products knowledge and 17 students were selected to follow this programme.

The years during the Second World War were of course very challenging. During the war provisions became more and more scarce. For restaurant owners this meant they first had to remove rice dishes from the menu, afterwards all egg dishes and also oatmeal was no longer available. To be able to provide so called coupon-free dishes they tried to use more potatoes, but this proved to be very difficult.

The 60’s were for the students a decade of solidarity as well as a time of disciplined regime. From the late 70s the school grew tremendously, from 400 students to nearly 900. The school changed its name, from Higher Hotel School to Hotelschool Den Haag, University of Applied Science in Business Administration. The focus moved from a Dutch Business oriented school to an international centre of hospitality knowledge.

For more than 30 years, this has enabled our students to go on international placements instead of internships within The Netherlands.

At the beginning of the 80s a new curriculum was implemented, centered around thematic education in modules. We can see this as the base of the unique education system we have today, called Entrepreneurial Learning. This means our students are responsible for their own learning process, so they learn to take initiative and to be proactive. In short they ‘learn by doing’.

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2014

In the 80's also a change in the general hospitality attitude was visible and in the 80’s we saw a change in attitude towards hospitality in general. Before the students were required to work in dress suit or tuxedo (with white gloves borrowed from the Kurhaus), but in the 80s a more relaxed attitude became visible that better suited hospitality in the 20th century.

In the 90s our Bachelor programme became completely international. All courses were and since then, all our courses are taught in English and students from all over the world choose to study at Hotelschool The Hague. This development continued and at this moment, students from over 50 nationalities study at our university.

Over the years our students proved to be very dedicated and they developed themselves to be hospitality professionals with great management skills combined with hands on mentality. We are extremely proud of our alumni who over the years filled top positions in over 100 countries. Our alumni are not only successful in the international hotel industry, in various industries you will find our graduates in top positions, such as banking, large international retail companies and property development.

Since 2002 Hotelschool The Hague has a second campus in Amsterdam. In 2012 a brand new campus was opened on the Jan Evertsenstraat.

To emphasise our international character the name of the school recently changed to Hotelschool The Hague, Hospitality Business School. Under the leadership of our president Susanne Stolte we look forward to the future with great ambition. While keeping our heritage in mind we continue to educate the successful managers of the future.

Jord Althuizen Smokey Goodness

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did my first internship at Disney, where I met my American sweetheart, my wife. I also did my final internship in America, so, I have a good relationship with the States. During one visit to Colorado, I stumbled upon a BBQ competition, on a main street of a small mountain village. It was bursting with big heavy steel BBQs and smokers. A group of rough men were doing their thing; I was very impressed.

By coincidence, a week after our return to the Netherlands, I attended an office BBQ. It was a typical event with a classic model BBQ accompanied with potato salad, coleslaw, frozen satay, satay sauce and baguettes.

I then noticed how big the difference between America and the Netherlands was. I saw an opportunity, a strategic gap as they so nicely call it at the Hotelschool. So I thought: I will gladly jump into that gap!

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Together with two other colleagues, I created a hut made of stuff from Gamma and we started at an earlier edition of the Rolling Kitchens Festival in Amsterdam. We thought it was super cool, even though we made a loss of 400 euros. That was the starting point of a big adventure.

A family reunion followed, a company party, and then the excitement of the first internet booking by a stranger! It turned from a hobby into a full time job. The two friends from the start and I amically went our separate ways, and nowadays I run solo.

“I’m the gypsy of the hospitality industry”

it is good enough. At the end, you reach a level of more equality; the lecturers become your coaches, your source of information. That relationship, I really enjoy.

We focus on delivering a different experience to our customers. It starts with quality and good materials, our own recipes, and homemade as much as possible. We work with meat that is of a more sustainable origin: Heyde Hoeve pigs for our pork, ‘Gildehoen’ chicken, and our salmon is always MSC or ASC certified. We also create an experience. At one point we decided to build the largest smoker in the Netherlands. We called ourselves the “authentic BBQ caterer”. That worked in 2010, but in 2011 everyone called themselves authentic, even Albert Heijn.

It became a buzzword.

So we have to give meaning to the concept of ‘authentic’.

We determined our brand values. Everything we do, from our traditional cooking methods to the materials used, must be authentic. We work without plastic. Everything is made of steel, wood or stone. Our buffets are handmade from old cigar boards. It looks tough, old and used.

Hotellos can be pigheaded and cocky, starting with me.

Hotellos always have their own opinion on how it could be better. And that’s great, because you add value. You not only carry out the tasks at hand, you think about efficiency and how things can be improved. Well, if you are confronted with 50,000 hungry people at the Lowlands festival, it is of course not the most convenient time to evaluate, then you just have to get things done. With a smile of course!

What I loved about studying at Hotelschool The Hague, is that you really mature during those 4 years. You start with a sort of top-down relationship with your lecturers.

They tell you what to do, you do it, and you just hope

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I sometimes say; I’m the gypsy of the hospitality industry.

Except being a bouncer or sommelier, I have covered almost every function, from working in the kitchen of a hotel, to sous chef, to chef. I became a start-up manager for different restaurants at La Place, and afterwards worked through secondment. I moved to Foodstep, a hospitality consultant. I was then asked by Food Inspiration Belgium to become their editor-in-chief, I did that with pleasure for three years. And then Smokey Goodness came along.

When I look back, I know Hotelschool The Hague gave me the fundamental knowledge to become a manager.

During my internships I learned to work in a kitchen; at La Place I learned to be managerial and also how to buy in and to effectively plan. Through secondment I have learned to be commercial. And as consultant at Foodstep I learned about development and trends in food. It was the ultimate combination to start my own concept, and that is probably one of the reasons why it’s very successful.

In 5 years? We have healthy ambitions. We have doubled every year, but for next year we want to focus on better returns.

In 5 years I hope Smokey Goodness will be a brand that is recognised for its quality and authenticity. And we would like to develop more aspects of BBQ. You can think of a restaurant, product line, tools, maybe our own BBQ: that we will be a name you recognise alongside Weber and Big Green Egg.

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ince childhood, I have been fascinated by food and food preparation and the question: where does something come from? Besides that, I always had a great interest in hotels.

My dad still likes to tell the story that when I was about 6 or 7 we went skiing, and we drove up to the hotel and I said, like a little brat, “Is this a three or four star hotel?”

Because of my affinity with the hotel business and hospitality industry in general, I wanted to study at Hotelschool The Hague. Also the international character attracted me. I had the time of my life there!

During my studies, I learned that my greatest pleasure came from ‘being involved with people’. And what I liked was the practical part, so assisting the first and second year students in telephone training and reception training, the practical management skills. The skills I developed I could immediately put into practice as a student assistant, and in the second year when managing the first phase students.

Everything was related to business organisation and finance: I am very glad I learned it at school, because these were not my favourite subjects. I am very happy that I understood the theory and that’s why I now have my own business where I apply that knowledge.

At Hotelschool The Hague I learned how to present to a group: to stay calm in stressful situations; to manage when you are been thrown into the deep; to not to be intimidated by people who think they have anything and everything. Because you know, they also started at the bottom.

Winning Master Chef I never signed up with the idea, “I’m going to win this”. Only at the semi-final, did I become nervous: now I want to get to the final too! I cook purely by inspiration, that is why I won Master Chef. My goal was not to win, my goal was to learn, do new things, and especially to challenge myself.

“I want to make organic food of exceptional quality accessible to a wider audience. That’s my goal.”

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After my graduation I consciously took on different management and sales positions with major international companies.

And I worked as a trainer / consultant for a few years.

My husband Addy and me started with GreenAge, purely by chance, because a former colleague of Addy owned the brand and sold it to us. We liked the name, the organic certification and the Max Havelaar certification was there. So we thought: “Why not?”

We basically built the company from scratch and in no time grew like crazy. Why? Because we tell our story in a different way. Everything we say about our products, we can also show.

We make the story clear and transparent, and I think that’s very important. GreenAge is fair and yummy! Yummy, I thought, because it must also taste exceptionally good. We will not put our name on something we don’t love ourselves.

We really want close contact with our customers, wholesalers and retailers. We look for products that are different from those of others. We started with four products in early 2013.

Currently we have 92 products and at the end of the year we will have over 140, all dry products: pulses, rice, cereals, dried fruit, nuts, and muesli.

We deliver our products to retailers like Marqt, Wereldwinkels and Grab & Fly foodcorners at Schiphol Airport. Our largest account is wholesaler Natudis. The two biggest wholesalers in the Benelux for organic food are Udea (owner of Ecoplaza) and Natudis (owner of De Natuurwinkel). Natudis it is the largest in the Benelux, and has around 8,000 different products.

Last year, we started delivering our pulses and recently we signed a contract that we are now the preferred supplier on pulses, rice, grains, nuts, fruits and olive oil. A huge deal! Our products can be found in over 1200 stores in the Netherlands and Belgium.

For a conscious consumer it can be difficult to find out what product to buy. What you find at a health food store is not always a guarantee that it is a good and fair produced product.

If you are in a store and there are two brands of almonds, both eco, how do you know the difference? You just have to try them out. Taste says a lot about the quality. Quinoa for example: Quinoa from Peru is better than from Bolivia, but you just need to know that. If you want to make the best choice, simply Google. Read the story. Read the story of GreenAge anyway!

Sascha de Lint GreenAge

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I

came to the Hotelschool in ’88 and I finished 5 years later. I did my internships at Disneyworld Orlando and at the Holland America Line. In the end, I sailed with the HAL for a year and a half as a controller. My job was to control the budget of all departments during the journeys, as well as making sure that the stock on board matches with what was stated in the ‘books’.

The interesting part is that we had to add some new disciplines to our company like sponsoring, PR and marketing, ticketing and corporate hospitality. The whole company made a transition, but it came at the right time.

The transition coincided with the collapse of the business world, due to the economic crisis. Changing the company like that wasn’t wisdom, it was just plain luck.

The most bizarre thing that happened during my time on board was a collision we had with a Greek tanker, right before entering the port of New Orleans. There was a hole of 8 decks high, a huge gap. In the end the ship didn’t sink because it hit us just above the waterline, but that was pretty scary. The silver lining was that we had to stay in New Orleans for 8 weeks, but from that moment onwards I thought every loud sound was something happening to the ship. I was glad to get off it again.

Since then, I have specialised in public events. Our company has organised events with the guys from Top Gear in different countries (Netherlands, South Africa and Norway). We have also organised Taste events in Oslo, as well as Stockholm and we are now preparing for Taste of Christmas in Utrecht. Taste events are a mix of culinary demonstrations, workshops, exhibitors and of course some of the best restaurants and chefs around. This makes it interesting for the public, as well as food professionals. When we started organising Taste the first year we were focusing purely on selling square meters, whereas now we try to create experiences by bringing chefs, producers and sponsors together. It’s nice to see how some collaborations continue on after the event.

The Hotelschool was a really fun and good experience, I made lots of friends whom I still see today, privately as well as in business. The best thing that I experienced was working together with a lot of different people. We worked a lot for different catering companies in those days, which gave me practical experience that has been really useful. However, I think that you graduate with the total package. The Hotelschool itself, the social character and work experience makes the Hotelschool one of the best of its kind.

After my graduation I first started in the IT sector and became the manager of a company at a quite young age.

I learned a lot, having experienced an enormous growth of the company at the start, but also experiencing struggles during the economic recession.

Through a friend of mine I got involved in his company which organised business events as well as events based on set arrangements, like guided tours and themed parties.

However, I then realised, that I wanted to focus on more custom-made events. This is why I started to work as a freelancer in the event sector. I worked for some of the bigger companies, such as the Heineken Music Hall, working as an interim Commercial Manager.

Following this, I started my own event company which had an office at the Amsterdam Arena and primarily organised business events. I then had my first ‘taste’ of the Taste festivals. A culinary festival that was first introduced in London in 2003 and is now organised in 22 different countries. The organisation approached me and asked me to introduce this event in The Netherlands. It was something completely different from what I was doing at the time as it was a public event and I was organising business events before.

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“It wasn’t wisdom. It was plain luck.”

Taste of Christmas will focus on inspiring visitors’ Christmas dinner menu as well as presenting the opportunity to buy culinary Christmas presents. We have, for example, a turkey producer from the Netherlands. Don’t be mistaken, there is a certain technique to prepare turkey!

Looking back at my time at the Hotelschool and what I would do differently, I would say that I would probably pay more attention to some courses and would have chosen different wild card courses. Therefore, my advice would be to do something you really like and invest in yourself.

My wife comes from a family that has a catering company, which means the main subject in our house is food.

We start talking about food in the morning, contemplating what to eat for dinner.

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Henk-Jan Kakebeen GoalGetters

Andrew Nicholls 14

I

was born in Zimbabwe, grew up in South Africa where I finished high school, moved to the Isle of Man where I started bartending and then moved to the Netherlands. How I ended up at Hotelschool The Hague? Well, my parents found out about it, I applied, and the rest is history.

I fell into the hospitality business. A big part of South African culture is the braai, the BBQ, and as a kid I was always running around getting beers for my dad and his friends, and cooking stuff. After high school on the Isle of Man I needed a job, found a hotel where I started working behind the bar, and that’s where I’ve been ever since.

My favourite drink? Whatever is in my glass at the moment!

I know over 500 cocktails, it is impossible to choose. It’s like asking a mother about her favourite child, I just can’t do it!

I love the hospitality industry, I think it’s such an interactive environment. I will never get bored with it.

Hotelschool was good fun, probably too much fun! It was definitely a different way of learning for me, with the Entrepreneurial Learning approach. It was sometimes frustrating, but gave me a great foundation. Nothing prepares you really for starting your own company, but the Hotelschool provides you with a good base. And you learn about different cultures, interacting with others. It is such a melting pot of people from many different walks of life.

I was exempted from my practical internship because of my previous experience and did my management internship for The Fabulous Shaker Boys. What happened between graduation from the Hotelschool and where I am right now? A lot of life lessons, and a lot of mistakes! It was a big chain of huge mistakes, picking myself up again, making more mistakes, picking myself up again, etc. And I will keep on making mistakes, but that is the spirit you need.You shouldn’t be afraid to make mistakes, especially when you start your own business.You need to be prepared to fall and build from that. But you will come out stronger. It’s just that thing called life!

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The biggest lesson I learned at the Hotelschool The Hague, was something I really hated: writing SOPs. Now I know: they are so important! When you employ people, you are basically training a bunch of kids.You need to write all the procedures down.You need to be organised. And the biggest lesson I learned outside the Hotelschool is: you need to be persistent. If you are not prepared to fight for it, you shouldn’t be doing it.

“If you are not prepared to fight for it, you shouldn’t be doing it.”

The future for hospitality is collaboration, especially for small companies like my own, in order to grow. The world is just too big, fast moving and aggressive, to move on your own. Collaborations with businesses in different industries, but with similar aspects can help you, for example Fashion, Music and Design.

Maybe for large hotel chains collaborations are a bit less relevant, but even for them: times are changing. It’s all about lifestyle right now. Plain hospitality is moving towards lifestyle.

So the majors can benefit from collaborating with, for instance, fashion bloggers.

If you look at the fashion industry, the blogger world, the hospitality industry and culture in general: you increasingly see small players joining forces and creating something big together.

The future for me? Moving to online more, I would like to do more with training and educating new bartenders, and I would like to develop myself more globally.

Boudewijn Martens Floor17/Ramada Apollo 16

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started working in hospitality, when I was about 14 or 15 years, doing the dishes at a restaurant in my home town. I was the only kid who was fine with serving people and working hard for a minimum wage. When I started working as a Bartender, I realised I wanted to do something more with hospitality. Studying at Hotelschool The Hague was a major change for me, as I went from living in a small village surrounded by my friends and family, to living in Skotel with a complete group of new friends. It was amazing, I loved it, it was the best year of my life.

I loved the surroundings of Scheveningen and the international world that opened up to me. I had never been outside of Europe. I remember the first week being so overwhelming, that I was glad when I sat in the train on Friday, heading back to my parents to have some rest.

I did my internship at the former Blakes Hotel, which is currently the Dylan Hotel. During this internship I was a Housekeeping Supervisor. As my manager soon left to Italy for a break, I was on my own, which was fantastic.

As a 20-year-old guy, I had the opportunity to work with Anouska Hempel, also known as Lady Weinberg, who was and still is the owner of the Blakes Hotel in London.

I fulfilled my last internship at the HR department at Hilton Amsterdam Airport, after which I joined Hilton.

Eventually there was an opportunity for me to move to Belgium, to become the Front Office Manager at Hilton Antwerp. This was a totally new experience for me, as I had to cope with the differences between the Dutch and the Belgian working culture. As a Waiter, Doorman or Concierge you have different rights, which I found quite confronting.

It was a fantastic hotel to work for, but after three years I was ready for the next step. I then started to work for Apollo Hotels and Resorts. It is quite a new hotel chain, at that time it had only been around for 6 or 7 years. I think that was one of the best decisions I could have made. I was able to grow really quickly in terms of positions. The Ramada Apollo Amsterdam Center Hotel opened two years ago. Last April they asked me to join as Hotel Manager, it was a major step: it is amazing to be the Hotel Manager of such a large hotel.

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A short while ago we hosted the Hotel Leaders Network Conference together with the Hotelschool. I was still a student 8 years ago and now I am the Hotel Manager of the hotel adjacent to the Hotelschool! The CEOs were being interviewed afterwards and I was standing at the back of the green room. I was so proud, because they were all sitting in my hotel. That was actually a moment when I thought, “This is why I have worked so hard to get here, this is what I wanted.”

“When they ask you to work a night shift on a Saturday, when you have already worked for 7 days, do it. Because it always gets back to you!”

I remember that I was an average student, and the owner of the restaurant where I worked when I was younger, always told me that I needed to work twice as hard as the rest and not only work hard one day, but every single day. You need to make sure the people you are reporting to, know and understand what you are doing. When they ask you to work a night shift on a Saturday, when you have already worked for 7 days in a row, just do it. Because it always gets back to you, for me it certainly did.

Hein Kitschmann Kitschmann Currywurst 18

Kitschmann Currywurst

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started six months ago. To give you an idea: I’m 61 years old so everyone thought I was insane. The main reason I started all of this, is because of my son, who just graduated from Hotelschool The Hague. Actually two of my children attended the Hotelschool. Daniel did his placement in Berlin. At that time, I was in the real estate business which I wanted to get out of. So he said,”Listen old man, if you want to do something else in your life, come over and have a look.” At that point the Hilton started with a little stand on the Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, selling ‘Dom curry’ wursts. From day one it was a major success. They now sell over 1000 curry wursts a day.

period. There was such a strong and special bond between the students. We still see each other often, for instance at the golf tournament I organise every year. What we see now is that we are all 60+ and the majority of us are in key positions in the hospitality industry and the majority of these people’s children go to Hotelschool The Hague.

I decided to bring the curry wurst to the Netherlands, and I wanted a unique vehicle as a rolling kitchen. I found this concept after six months of searching. I bought it with nothing in it. It took me another six months to develop, design and find all the equipment for it.

“See every day as a challenge to get the best out of yourself”

In March 2014 we started, my wife and I. The problem when we started was that for the majority of festivals, you had to register before April first. We didn’t know anything at that moment, so we focused on the weekly markets. At a weekly market the first curry wurst I sell is at about 11 am. I open at 8am so for the first few hours we sell coffee. We can always be found at the Friday market in Groningen. We try to do as many markets as possible but we are making a shift towards more upmarket events like weddings, golf clubs, birthday parties, etc.

My time at Hotelschool The Hague was such an exciting

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During my time at Hotelschool The Hague, I developed my entrepreneurial thirst and also a little bit of a rebellious attitude, which served me well during my time at Hotelschool as well as afterwards.

My advice to new students is: enjoy it! If you get accepted at Hotelschool The Hague, see it as one of the most beautiful experiences in your life. Because it offers everything that is important in life. It deals with work, with making money, with food and also with having fun. Live it to the fullest. See every day as a challenge to get the best out of yourself; you are not expected to be a GM or millionaire in less than 5 years. Just follow your dreams and do the things you want to do in life.

“If I see something I want, I go and get it!�

Laurens van Luin ManicOrganic

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M

y first internship was at Kempinski, in Berlin. One of the most sensible choices I ever made. It was in the eastern part, really old East Germany, with a completely different mindset. There I was, living with people who did not speak English well. So within two weeks I spoke German, because I just had to, every day. I worked 12 – 16 hours per day. My second internship was in London, at the Cocktail Bar at One Aldwych Hotel. London is just a fantastic city. Compared to that, Amsterdam really is a village. If you compare it to Berlin or London, only the mentality is pretty similar; ‘work hard, play hard’.

I had so many beautiful moments at Hotelschool The Hague.

It is of course super intensive, living with 300+ students in one building; it is one big party. But besides partying I was also involved with more serious things. I worked for the Embassies here in The Hague. It is very special working together with the different Ambassadors and getting to know them.

At some point I grew close to, for example, Priscilla Jana, Ambassador of South Africa. She was one of Nelson Mandela’s attorneys. And the Ambassador of Switzerland came to cook with us in the kitchen, while giving us tips about life. We saw Carla Del Ponte, the chief prosecutor of the Yugoslavia Tribunal, weekly. And while he was Prime-Minister, Jan-Peter Balkenende visited the Spanish Embassy frequently. He was a very nice and impressive man. I eventually received a written recommendation letter from different ambassadors.

After I graduated, I’ve done a number of jobs. I worked for a company caterer, as a district manager, which was not the job for me; way too much paperwork. I also worked at Sustainable Dance Club, and helped to set up a franchise in healthy products, smoothies and salads. That was my first job dealing with eating healthy and beautiful food. But I always knew that I wanted to start my own company. And I started just over 1.5 years ago. I registered, and started ManicOrganic. I try to be as sustainable as possible and carry this out throughout different parts of my company. I used old office desks and turned them into restaurant tables and pallets from the street were turned into a DJ booth. Most of the furniture and decoration is recycled or upcycled which gives my event location a very cosy ambiance. The polos and shirts that we wear while working are made from organic cotton. The organic shoes are made by a Dutch designer. I try to buy local as much as possible,

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seasonal products, organic, halal and a lot vegetarian. But the most important is presentation and taste. After all it’s about hospitality!

Besides this, I’m working on some interesting new projects.

I am developing luxury yoga retreats, together with friends from the States. In November I will have a big moustache again, as I am the ambassador, or ‘posterboy’ for Movember. I am a survivor myself, so it all fell into place when they asked me for their posters. The goal is to raise awareness and money. Letting a moustache grow for a month is a silly way to show your commitment, but since we do it as a team, it is quite fun.

As an entrepreneur it is sometimes quiet for 4 weeks and then I have 8 days of 14 to 16 hour work days, or a month of non-stop working. My goal for the coming period is: how can I regain a normal rhythm with normal work weeks? You have to look after yourself. Because when you stick your neck out and you are willing to actively be involved with different things, more and more things will come your way. And that is how you recognise a Hotelschool The Hague graduate; they live their life in a certain way. These are often people who do something ‘on the side’ besides their permanent job. They are proactive, they don’t wait. And that is also in my nature. If I see something I want, I go and get it!

“If you are a good wine buyer with enthusiastic people, there is so much to discover.�

Xavier Kat Wijnkoperij Okhuysen 22

M

y first internship was in Nice, France. It was a really tough practical placement, with two months in the kitchen, two months in the restaurant and two months between room service and front office. I had to go through all aspects of the business, in a really French manner, with long hours, hard work and little sleep.

I did not want to do my management internship in a hotel. I chose the sales office of Golden Tulip in London.

I have spent most of my time on my own with a lot of responsibility. I learned a lot, especially about sales.

I have so many great memories. Even the practical courses, which I didn’t like that much, gave you such a sense of belonging, you were so dependent on each other. What is also nice about the Hotelschool, is the diversity, the mix of people. I came from the Bloemendaal area and when I started at Hotelschool The Hague I stepped into a different world. It broadens your horizon.

I’m glad I didn’t study Law in Leiden.

I lived in Bordeaux for 5 years. I worked at Chateaus after my marketing internship because I also wanted to know how wine is really made. 80% of all wine in Bordeaux is made and sold through trading houses. So I knew how wine is made, I spoke my languages, I had a good commercial background, and found a job at an export department. After a few years my boss wanted to buy me into the company. When I came home for Christmas that year I wanted to tell my dad: “Listen Dad, you’re going to love this.” But then he said: “Well I actually have a different question for you. I want to buy my partner out, but only if you come into the business.

So then I became the director of the company.”

My marketing lecturer, Lily Lin, has inspired me greatly. She had the most witty anecdotes, with unexpected twists. I also enjoyed all the case studies, where you had to analyze, develop and present. That kind of stuff, that’s what the Hotelschool is really great at. You learn good public speaking and how to properly prepare things.

I’m certainly still in contact with other alumni, mostly through the student association. The student association and Hotelschool The Hague really belong together; it provides you with a social network. I think students should try to find a balance between school attendance and their development outside school, for instance through being active within the student association.

If you only focus on studying and getting really good grades, I think you are missing out on what life has to offer. In my eyes, you can better be graded a six with a lot going on in your life, then an eight with nothing on the side.

I inherited the business from my father, so I grew up in the wine world. Through my father, I could arrange a marketing internship in Bordeaux. When I arrived there, in the centre of the wine industry, I thought; “This is the world I want to work in”. I was hooked.

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I felt a little bit of responsibility to my father, your parents do a lot for you and now I was able to do something in return. Okhuysen is such a great company, almost 150 years old with tremendous service and tremendous reputation. We work with small farmers who are very proud of what they do and they want to do it the right way. Often organic, but most farmers do not want to mention that on the bottle, because that’s just the way it should be done. It should be the norm and philosophy.

Good quality, but complemented by extensive service to your customers. We have chosen to have no stores, we sell to the private customers through our magazines, NRC Handelsblad and the internet. And of course we have sales representatives on the road for our Restaurants sales. We are active with calling to help customers, and we want to meet them by organising wine tastings across the country. If you are a good wine buyer with enthusiastic people, there is so much to discover.

A

fter I finished high school I only knew one thing, that I wanted to become an entrepreneur. A friend suggested Hotelschool The Hague. I was working at a bar at that time, so hospitality was something I liked. I had a great time, I learned a lot. With Marketing, Finance and F&B, I had a well-filled backpack for the things I needed to learn. It really helped me during the first couple of years of opening up different places. But the most important thing is the network I built at the Hotelschool. It is priceless and something that no one can teach you or give you. The student association really helped me with that. It’s not only about who you are, but who you know. Who can do this for me, what can I do for them? That’s 50% of the Hotelschool, and it really helped me.

Riad Farhat Waterkant & de Biertuin

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“Entrepreneurs need to learn to appreciate others.”

I also loved my internships. I did an internship in Barcelona. I made a lot of contacts, saw a lot, did a lot and learned a lot. My management placement took me to Bombay, India.

I worked setting up a restaurant/club there. The knowledge I took from that internship was incredible.

international media coverage, also because of the name Bukowski: he was a controversial writer in the 80s and is now a cult figure. Besides that, we have a cocktail bar, only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. A sort of a pop-up bar, throughout the week it’s part of Bukowski.

When I was working on my thesis, we started our first business, Maxwell, at Beukenplein in Amsterdam. It was an instant success. It’s in a deprived urban area, Amsterdam-Oost. They used to call it the Plaza of Death.

We had the idea that Oost needed it, there are people living there who want a nice place to go to. Our whole concept of working in Oost is that you need to keep people in their neighbourhood. That will lift the entire neighbourhood, as local residents no longer need to go to the city centre.

We couldn’t have dreamed of the results.

We call ourselves the 3 Wise Men from the East, that’s our BV. We have chosen a certain path based mainly on bar food and drinks. We decided to sell the restaurant and to focus on easy accessible, easy and fast, not so much on culinary cooking.

We were 27, and we lived off very little. Because of that, we could open our second place, a restaurant, 8 months later. It was a culinary cafe.

That went well, and after that we started Cafe Kuyper, 2 years later. We noticed that there wasn’t a place to have a nice beer combined with nice food. It was an instant hit. After that we opened de Biertuin. The concept is craft beer, spit roasted chicken.

What you see is what you get. It’s a great success, attracting even people from outside of Amsterdam.

We then opened Bukowski and Henry’s bar. Those are a bit more cosmopolitan, a bit more international than Kuyper. Kuyper is known in Amsterdam-Oost, while Bukowski is world famous in Amsterdam and surroundings. We received lots of

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This summer we opened Waterkant.

The concept is simple: location, with a large terrace overlooking the water. The area, next to a big parking garage used to be a no-go area. Dirty, unpleasant and lots of drug users; we completely turned that around.

“Being a successful entrepreneur sounds very romantic, but it’s not. You need to know what you’re doing.”

Everything you learn at school is useful. You need to do research. You need to find out what people want, where there is a need. You also need to be a do-er. You need to think about your concept, but also not think about it too long.

If you have a good feeling, just do it.

Your first feeling is usually the right one.

I remember working on an assignment at the Hotelschool. My whole group thought I didn’t do that much.

The only thing I did was delegate.

Making sure that everyone had lunch and stuff like that, I wasn’t working behind a computer. I spread my ideas and the rest of the group worked on it. During the presentation I received an 8, while the rest got lower grades.

I could answer all the questions the teacher threw at us. The students complained about it: “He got an 8, but he didn’t do anything. I wrote the whole paper!” The teacher simply replied, saying, “then he should actually have received a ten, because he knows everything about the material, he’s the only one who immediately gave an answer. The paper was delivered in time. So what did you learn?” Well, they didn’t know.

But, to translate a well-known Dutch proverb: the best helmsmen stand on the shore. That’s the way it is.

I think that entrepreneurs need to learn to appreciate others. If you help others, it will come back to you. If garbage men come along to pick up trash, I will give them a coke. Some entrepreneurs don’t get that. You can’t only think short-term. On Kings Day, it’s going to be a big mess here.

But those garbage men will clean a bit extra then. Then they want to make that effort, go that extra mile.

Granting people extra things has to come naturally, it’s not a trick. And your network never ever stops. It is super important for entrepreneurs but I think it’s important for everyone.

Celebrating 85 years

of Hotelschool The Hague with

“The great thing about Hotelschool The Hague is the international character!”

“A memorable moment for me was when one student had done her final exam so well, I suggested she should write an article about it, and afterwards she was allowed to present it at EuroCHRIE.” “For me the best thing about Hotelschool The Hague is being part of a community and feeling enjoyment every day I go to work.”

“My best memory so far is being a co-trainer for the Outdoor programme. It is great to get to know students in a different way.“

“We have great students! It is a good feeling to be comfortable with inviting external guests, as you know everything will be taken care of by the students.”

“My most memorable moment was 25 years ago. I never thought they would hire me, but they did!”

“The great thing about Hotelschool The Hague is that not a single day is the same and challenges keep you actively involved.”

“The great thing about Hotelschool The Hague is working with he lovely students.”

“To be the most inpiring and creative course for both students and faculty in international hospitality education.”

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Faculty

“The great thing about Hotelschool The Hague is that we even exceed high expectations.”

“Our international collection of highly talented students, is what makes our school great” “What I really like about Hotelschool The Hague is the collegial working environment. I have the best colleagues imaginable; they are all so supportive and empathetic.”

“What I enjoy most about Hotelschool The Hague are the students; they are all so ambitious, enthusiastic and polite.”

“Greatest thing about Hotelschool The Hague is that I have the best colleagues ever. With my colleagues it feels like a “family”. Everybody is so commited. There is a lot of passion and the students are so important to all of them!!!”

“The greatest thing about Hotelschool The Hague is seeing students doing the extraordinary.

It gives you such a positive vibe.”

“My most memorable moment at Hoteschool The Hague was that Paul Griep was dressed up as Santa Claus.”

“Enjoying the inspiring and supporting environment Hotelschool The Hague offers, where hospitality is leading through every sense of the word which makes being part of this team a great and exciting journey every single day.”

Celebrating 85 years of Hotelschool The Hague with

Students “My most memorable moment at Hotelschool The Hague was Skotel.”

“My most memorable moment at Hotelschool The Hague was when I realised how much I enjoy serving people during my practicals in Le Debut service.”

“The great thing about Hotelschool The Hague is that it opens new doors for students.”

“My most memorable moment was when “The greatest thing about Hotelschool The Hague is being with friends all the time.”

I knew I passed the five weeks of the PIFT summer course. “

“The great thing about Hotelschool The Hague is living with so many other people from different My most memorable moment The Hague was backgrounds.” atwhenHotelschool we finished the main course

“The great thing about Hotelschool The Hague is that we are one big family.”

successfully on our Parents day.

“My most memorable moment at Hotelschool The Hague was Parents Day, because I got to work with all the people that I’ve been living with for the past half year and it was a nice experience.”

“My most memorable moment at Hotelschool The Hague was discovering what amazing things can derive from working together.” “My most memorable moment at Hotelschool The Hague “The great thing about Hotelschool The Hague is that you get to discover yourself.”

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was being a part of the Comitas Board 2014-2015, its a great way to extend your network, build friends and have a great student life.”

“Outdoor turned out to be the most valuable learning week from my whole study time at Hotelschool The Hague.”

Joris Bijdendijk 速 RIJKS 28

I

knew I wanted to become a Chef and I decided I could learn how to cook in practice, but for developing my management skills, I should go to Hotelschool The Hague. That is why I chose to study there, as you gain such broad knowledge.

I enjoyed my time at Hotelschool The Hague a lot, I had so much fun, even though I was a bit of an outsider. I wanted to become a Chef, but followed a management study. So I was more involved with the F&B instructors and lecturers like Robert Gallicano, who was so inspiring.

We were the first group to study in Amsterdam, we practically had to paint our own class rooms, but we immediately bonded.

While at the Hotelschool, I started a second study at a two Michelin star restaurant owned by Ron Blaauw. So during the day I studied at Hotelschool The Hague, at night I became a student chef. Besides that I also worked to pay for my studies. So I was busy 7 days per week. How I managed to combine all these things? I just followed my heart. You do have to be able to put everything aside for your goal and just go for it and work hard.

After my graduation I worked full time for Ron Blaauw, moving up from chef de partie to chef. After 6 years I moved to France, working in a two star Michelin restaurant for 2.5 years. I came back, and started as executive chef at Hotel The Grand, where we gained a Michelin star.

Now I have just started at a new restaurant in the Rijksmuseum, called RIJKS ®. It opened on the 1st of November. We cook at the highest level, with top products that will serve a lot of people. There is a large connection between the restaurant and the museum:

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At the restaurant you will experience the best food available in the Netherlands and cultures that have influenced the Netherlands in the past. The restaurant is a parallel to the Rijksmuseum, you will find a lot of similarities. In the museum you not only find the ‘Nachtwacht’, there is also a part of the museum showing Chinese art. This will translate into the spices we use in the restaurant.

“At RIJKS ® you are served the Rijksmuseum on your plate.”

Cooking was always very important in my family. Not professionally, but it was always something that tied us together. My parents were always so passionate about cooking. Going to the Ardennes, cooking on an old-fashioned stove, those are good memories. That nostalgia has always been a part of me; you can surely see that back in my work.

My goal for the future is to keep cooking things I like in successful restaurants with beautiful products and dedicated teams. I will not say no to an international career, but for the moment, I have just started a fantastic new challenge that will keep me in the Netherlands for quite some years to come!

Richard van Leeuwen The Harbour Club

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A

ccording to my mother, I already walked around with hors d’oeuvres at birthdays as a kid. In high school I started to work in the hospitality industry, and ended up working for Van der Valk, which I really enjoyed.

Our original formula is based on having a fantastic evening, even on a budget. Of course you can order expensive bottles of champagne, but we also want to be accessible.

Two people, starter, main course, coffee and a few glasses of wine, you should be able to get that for under €100.

My time at Hotelschool The Hague was great. As a boy of 18/19 you step into a completely different world. It was overwhelming and super intense, but also a lot of fun. I was very active as a student. At that time I started setting up different companies with some friends. We started with small events, doing catering. Then, we started a catering employment agency, Skanna Basics, which of course still exists. It was followed by a party centre. We already had a club in The Hague and a restaurant in Rotterdam.

So that was a very interesting period.

“Our original formula is based on having a fantastic evening, even on a budget.”

I might be the only student who ever did his management internship at his own company. Looking back, I don’t know how I was able to combine it all while studying. It was very busy, but in retrospect it was a great combination between theory and practice.

Eventually we graduated and we were, by then, in charge of a very large company. Everything had started up just for fun with a few friends, but at some point it became serious and we decided to make some arrangements. From there, I moved on by myself. I started up another hospitality company and as the year went by, I started and sold different companies. I wasn’t following some sort of ‘bigger’ plan.

At some point you see an opportunity and think; this is fun! And then you just do it. I realised recently that I’ve been self-employed for over 25 years now and have never actually worked for a boss. That is strange, but I know now that I could never work for a boss, so that will never happen.

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At this time, we are focusing on the growth of the Harbour Club. We have three offices in the Netherlands and have opened the first one abroad. We see a lot of international opportunities. So we are seriously looking into different world cities; London, Barcelona, Dubai are currently the first three on the wish list.

For us, it is natural to work with top products that are fresh. And people really get a night out because of the entourage, the entertainment. If you eat here and there are 400 people around you, that is cool, it gives a certain vibe. If I for 100% knew what our success formula is, that would make things easy. That’s the interesting thing about hospitality, it’s never a science: there’s always something magical that you cannot define. One restaurant might be crowded, while the restaurant next door has better food, better service and is cheaper, but is completely empty.

I still have good contacts with a number of alumni. It remains striking how often you encounter them, though.

Some are in the same business, while you meet others for lunch. It’s a small world, and I think that is great!

Vivian van Hees-Onel Pasta e Basta

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I

studied to become a fashion designer for two years, however it wasn’t my thing. I was working at a restaurant on the side, and discovered that I really enjoyed it. That is how I ended up at Hotelschool The Hague.

All hotellos probably say the same, but I had a fantastic time at Hotelschool The Hague. Learning so many different things on so many topics, every day was different.

The team challenges, working in groups. I enjoyed my internships; the first one in Vienna, the second one in Amsterdam. And I clicked with all people, I even got married to a Hotello and we now have a beautiful daughter.

As a General Manager, I use everything I learned; I am HR Manager, Financial Manager, Marketing Manager, I have to deal with everything!. That is why I am a text book example of a Hotelschool student. Everything I learned, I now use in my job.

After Hotelschool I started at Hilton, being responsible for Marketing as well as Groups & Events. At that time I enjoyed it, but I missed the hands-on, active part.

“I am a text book example of a Hotelschool student.”

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At Pasta E Basta I make sure, I am on the floor two days per week, so I can experience what’s going on. That’s very important to me. The other days I focus on the administration and other duties. I also enjoy looking for new furniture and paintings, which we get from anywhere. We have a lot of small silly things, there is always something to see or experience.

On Mondays we have student night. On Sundays we have a lot of older guests. On Saturdays we see a lot of Dutch tourists. During school vacations we see a lot of kids.

During week days we have a lot of corporate guests. So we really cater to everyone, we don’t have a specific target audience.

In 5 years, hopefully we will still be doing the same thing as we are now, as what we have been doing for 20 years has proven to be very successful. We are open 7 days a week from 18:00 onand we are almost always fully booked. In the weekends, we have two evening settings, starting at 18:00 and at 21:00; that means two groups of approximately 120 people.

Some things do change, though. As an entrepreneur you always have to improve yourself and go with the trend.

We now have gluten-free pastas for guests with allergies and low-carb pasta, for example. But the base remains the same; the talents sing and they serve the guest. I would like to expand, but abroad, not in the Netherlands. I could really see it work in London.

We hire people because of their singing talents and we teach them hospitality afterwards. We do have hotellos working behind the bar and in the kitchen. It is funny to see the difference between the artists and the hotellos. The hotellos want to deliver the perfect product, the artists have a very different focus; they want to entertain.

The hotello creates a beautiful cappuccino, the artist then has to learn not to just serve it, with coffee pouring over the cup.

We are very international, we have some Italians working here, someone from Nigeria and someone half Danish, half Spanish. We like the diversity and it also works well with our international guests.

“My goal is to ensure that as many companies as possible are using clean materials instead of plastic.�

Thomas Kasha SD Trading 34

T

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o be honest, I never had any real ambition to go to the Hotelschool and after a visit to Maastricht, it was only the second school I visited. I loved the atmosphere right after I stepped inside. I don’t really know how I managed to get in since I had no experience on hospitality at all. Apparently, being myself was enough.

After just a year we were able to acquire Hampi, a Dutch/Indian venture selling and producing natural tableware made of palm leafs. At once, we were the owners of a whole factory in India, where around 85 people are manufacturing palm leaf plates. At this moment we have 5 own brands and we are adding new products every year.

For my internship, I was planning to go to South Africa, but due to personal circumstances I decided to stay in the Netherlands and do my internship here. At that time I worked a lot for Basics, run and owned by former Hotello’s and they offered me a position. I became good friends with Jan-Maarten, the manager and later, we partnered up again, when he became the director of the Benelux department of my own company.

Since the company was built from scratch, we structured a pull marketing strategy instead of the good old push strategy with lots of staff. It worked out fabulously and we were able to connect with market pioneers like celebrity chefs who made our products famous and thus the large resellers followed almost automatically. We just opened up in the States, Germany and we are still growing. People become more and more aware of the benefits of sustainable products which look great but also save money on staff and handling.

As a spin-off, I started up Mind the Fab. Mind the Fab helps companies and organisations to build or expand their own online reputation. It is great to see how these companies grow and how they become more valuable with our help.

After graduating from the Hotelschool, I started a company called AQ Services with two other students. The idea was to bring hospitality to other branches through mystery shopping.

We started off pretty good in 2001, but a few months later, after 9/11, the work economy collapsed and we had to take one step back to take two steps forward after the downturn ended. We were able to open offices in Singapore, Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur.

In 2010, due to my connections in Japan, I was able to get hold of a European license for selling Japanese tableware. We got the lead from yet another Hotello and we loved the idea of doing something we didn’t know anything about. I loved building up the new company and I felt AQ Services was in a phase in which it needed another sort of leadership.

Therefore, I sold my shares to my companion and started SD Trading.

Nowadays, it is impossible to know where you will be in 5 years. My goal is to ensure that as many companies as possible are using clean materials instead of plastic. It doesn’t matter if SD Trading is the source for that; in this case the bigger goal is more important. To accomplish this, we make sure that our products tell a story and add value to the user.

Entrepreneurship needs to hurt. To be successful you need to suffer. That sounds a bit harsh, but working hard for your money makes you stay focused. It is okay to make mistakes, but you have to learn from it. You should start every day by asking yourself; how can I improve myself and my company today to become better tomorrow?

Caipi Boys Tim Conyn & Yaron Menneken 36

We do Caipi Boys for fun. We all work very hard, but we enjoy it so much. I think we shaked 20.000 cocktails in one season.

And we do not only serve Caiprihina’s but also other ‘easy’ cocktails. Not easy because we are lazy, but more the easily drinkable. And we give them a small twist with strawberries for instance. But the cocktails are actually just a small part.

It’s more about the experience. We should be able to give a certain vibe.

“The cocktail is actually just a small part. It’s more about the experience.”

And that’s something you learn at the Hotelschool; it’s basically not about the product, but about everything around it. Of course, the product is important, it should be a good product.

But you can stand out with the other factors.

W

e had the idea to start Caipi Boys one day and that idea actually came from our third member who went to Brazil and just returned.

Yaron: Tim was a poor student, I was a poor entrepreneur since I had another company but that didn’t go that well, and our third member was a poor pilot since he didn’t have a job.

I didn’t became a member of the student association, but I did got myself involved with the student life and definitely made some friends for life. I find it interesting to see what everyone is doing now, getting jobs in different fields. I think it’s quite extraordinary that, even though they do not work in hospitality, they are all quite good at what they are doing. They are all very ambitious.

I really enjoyed Gastronomy from Mr. Gallicano, because he can tell in such a passionate way. But I think all the subjects were important, because you still use those now.

My first internship was at St. Barts. I was a cook there and I really loved doing that, because I couldn’t really cook and I had two French chefs teaching me. I also learned French because of that. My second internship was at an office and I discovered that I didn’t like that. But, it’s good because I learned a lot about myself there.

Tim: I am still a student, this is going to be my fifth year. I hope to graduate in January. I have never been really involved with the student life, because I already had my own life and my own group of friends.

I really like the whole 3rd Phase actually. It is all very interesting and instructive; especially Strategy Development, because it feels like you are really working on something professional. I also liked the more creative subjects, develop new concepts.

I did my first internship in Kaapstad; at B Hotel. I really enjoyed the city but didn’t like working at a hotel. So I did my second internship at Culpepper. It has all the aspects of a hotel but you have a different way of approach with your guests.

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The goal is to build our own resort. If we don’t have that within 5 years we are actually doing this for nothing. We want to combine the hospitality industry with sports, preferably at the beach. That probably won’t be in the Netherlands because the waves aren’t good here.

Bernard Lensink De Vrienden van Jacob 38

F

rom when I was 9 years old, I wanted to work in hospitality; my uncle put me on a beer crate behind the bar and I tapped my first beer.

My time at the Hotelschool was too short, unfortunately I graduated within 4 years! Living in Skotel, it was a crazy time. I mostly learned how to present myself and how to work together in (small) teams. Besides that, I learned a lot from the Practical Management Skills courses, back then given by Jos Stroom, as well as the Meeting Skills course. And languages were very important for me. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you don’t speak the language to be able to express yourself, what good will it do?

I was a good student; it was all pretty easy for me. The only exam I ever failed was Law. I simply couldn’t be bothered with all those laws and regulations. I thought: ”I will have people to deal with that later”.

“Unfortunately, I graduated within 4 years” I always made very conscious decisions; on what courses to take, what activities to do outside school, what internships to follow, to get where I wanted to be. It helped me to become General Manager of a 5 star hotel at the age of 34.

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My first internship was in Dessau in dark, raw and rural East Germany. I came from the West so they thought I knew everything. It was a coincidence that when Mr. van Delft came to visit me back then, I was the highest in rank at the hotel, as my GM just left and the F&B Manager was on vacation. So my first internship was already a Management internship. I was very lucky, as I think my experiences helped me to better appreciate courses like Strategic Management, Operational Management and Marketing.

My second internship was at the Radisson SAS in Brussels, where I stayed after graduation. First as F&B Coordinator, to Group & Banqueting Coordinator, to Assistant, to Manager. After 4 years Radisson SAS offered me to go to Cannes to lead Group & Banqueting at their hotel and afterwards become Operations Manager. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out because of a change of General Manager. I was disappointed, but when one door closes, another opens. I was approached to work as F&B Manager at a beautiful golf resort in Bad Saarow in Germany.

I was 27 and all of a sudden managed 110 people. Afterwards, I became a Food & Beverage Director at the Palace Hotel in Berlin.

I returned to Amsterdam because I couldn’t combine my very busy work with my private life. My wife and I were recently married and were proud parents to a son. From working at Le Méridien Apollo, I moved to Landgoed Duin & Kruidberg in 2006, with great support of Sander Allegro. I started as Resident Manager and became General Manager in 2008.

My career shows how important the power of your network is, both in a positive and negative way. In your career you also need to learn the hard way from your bad experiences in order for you to end up where you want to be.

Landgoed Duin & Kruidberg is owned by ABN AMRO, but is operated as a stand-alone hotel. When I started as a GM, the crisis started to evolve. Economically it was a very bad time as revenues dropped by 35%, not an easy time for me to start. Luckily we managed to be able to follow through with major renovations and afterwards earned the trust of both our guests and our owners. The growth scenarios we planned we managed to achieve, and we have been growing since 2009.

It remains a challenge: we have to work as effectively as possible as well as finding creative ways to serve all guests in the best way possible. It is a great job!

Gregor Christiaans Olijfbedrijf

40

I

joined the Military Academy in 1986, but it wasn’t quite ‘my thing’. So what to do next? The obvious thing at that time was to buy ‘Elsevier Beroepen Almanak’ and read it from A-Z. I got curious at “H”. Actually, at that time there was also a tv series called ‘Hotel’. The General Manager of this St. Gregory Hotel was called Peter McDermott, and he had a fantastic PA. That’s what I wanted! So Peter McDermott was actually my trigger to go to the Hotelschool.

I first wanted to go to Maastricht. I asked them if I could skip some first year lessons due to my propaedeutic from the Military Academy. They couldn’t answer me. When I called Hotelschool The Hague, they replied: “Well Mr Christiaans, why ask for dispensation? With your background it will be a piece of cake. I liked that answer, so I chose Hotelschool The Hague.

In my opinion, Hotelschool The Hague is a great university for general management knowledge. Next to that it’s a great place to make new friends.

They then sent me to Warsaw as General Manager Poland. A beautiful country where I met my wife. Her parents had built a house on Crete in the middle of nowhere. I spent my summer holidays there several times. The plumber of that house turned out to be the President of an olive oil co-operative. Big guy, only spoke Greek. But he sparked my interest and I visited his mill. I literally fell ‘with my nose in the olive oil’ or to say, I hit the olive oil jackpot, as it is one of the two best olive oil producers on Crete, possibly in Greece.

As a hobby I took some olive oil with me to the Netherlands and started Olijfbedrijf in 2003. After different jobs at companies like Paardenkooper packaging and the Metro Group, I wanted to focus more on my own company. So ‘Olijfbedrijf’ became my full time job. It nowadays serves around 130 restaurants throughout The Netherlands. The main products are olive oils, olives, balsamic vinegars, capers and other meditteranean products with a focus on sustainability.

If you specialise in something you have to become the best at it. And olive oil became my passion, my specialty. I looked for a study in olive oil and found O.N.A.O.O (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Olio di Oliva) in Italy. I attended their technical tasting course and passed the difficult exams.

With that I became one of the four official olive oil tasters in The Netherlands. One of the great things to do is to teach Chef’s, professionals and consumers about olive oil. This I do on a regular basis at the ‘Volksuniversiteiten Amsterdam, Utrecht en Amstelveen. But also for the Greek embassy, Italian Chamber of Commerce, cooking schools, restaurants etcetera.

Follow your passion! Check your oil and enjoy good food!

What I noticed, especially at that time, is that while writing your final thesis, there were a lot of guidelines. If you had one spelling mistake in your report you didn’t have to bother handing it in. Nowadays I am coaching young MBO and HBO students If only they had the same guidelines we had from Raoul Chenevert! But that is why I enjoy working as a coach, and teaching young people. Don’t let your knowledge go to waste, but pass it on to the next generation After graduation I worked for different breweries. I started at Oranjeboom brewery as an Inspector for 4 years. At Grolsch brewery I started as a Project Manager. Next I became General Manager ad interim at their largest wholesaling company in Rotterdam. It was in a terrible financial condition. The Director of Grolsch told me I had a year to prove “we don’t have to sell this place”. It became the best wholesaling company of Grolsch and I had the time of my life there for 4 years.

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S

ince I was 8 years old I always had the feeling that the hospitality industry was for me, as I walked around in my uncle’s Grand Cafe. Since then, I learned that I wanted to have my own business.

My real passion is Bartending.

Why women and why the middle segment? A cocktail is a high end and expensive product, not everybody can afford one even if they would like to drink one. We make it possible and affordable for these categories. So for a reasonable price you can have a cocktail bar at your party at home.

I had a great time at the Hotelschool; learned a lot, got to know a lot of people. When I started at the Hotelschool, I also started up my own company. It all began during a previous internship at Anno in Almere, where I worked in their cocktail bar. One of the ‘Fabulous Shakerboys’ taught me how to shake.

Besides this, cocktail brands usually target men, and focus on cocktails with whiskey for example. At festivals you mostly see men ordering cocktails, around 70%. We also see that our competitors aim at company parties and men. So we focus on the opposite. We are now in the process of developing a vodka cocktail for women, together with the company ‘100%’. Think light pink bottle and diamond shape cap.

My best friend, who used to work at ABN AMRO, and I are both entrepreneurs. During a night out I suggested, “Why don’t we start something together?” He knows about finance, I know about the practical side of a business. Combining our strengths would be the key to a successful and growing company.

We started, and after only one year we were already very successful. And it purely started from passion. That is what I would advise everyone within the industry: just follow your passion!

Then it doesn’t matter how hard you have to work, you will do it with pleasure.

I have a few favourite cocktails. In the winter I like a Manhattan or an Old-fashioned. In the summer I go for a Basil Smash.

That’s a fresh cocktail with basil, gin, lemon juice and sugar water.

So what is Quality Bartending? We do all-round bartending on location; we can place and staff a normal bar or a cocktail bar almost anywhere, for a theme party for example. We also do consultancy, this means we develop cocktail menus for hotels and train the staff, as well as giving them tips and tricks and updating them on trends. Our target market is the female market as well as home bartending and the middle segment, in comparison to the high end market that the Fabulous Shakerboys are aiming for.

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So, what’s new in cocktails? In 2014, the biggest trend was garnishing: the bigger and crazier the better. In America I saw cocktails with complete hamburgers, bacon strips or a head of lettuce on top of it. Butter cocktails are the latest trend, especially now we are moving towards winter, so the butter will slowly melt and change the taste of the cocktail. Another trend is hot toddies with whiskey and spices.You can actually compare cocktail trends to cooking.

“Follow your passion!”

Mark Horné Quality Bartending 43

Marloes de Bruijn Kruid & Druif

I

always saw my friends struggling with the Asian cuisine; collecting all the ingredients, finding out where to buy them and what to do with those ingredients. Or they would simply buy instant noodle soup, and that would be it. My mother was born in Asia, half Indonesian and half Chinese, so I know a lot about these cuisines. I have lived in China and I have traveled to Thailand, Laos, India and Indonesia. At a certain point my boyfriend and I thought, let’s start something where you don’t have to search for all your ingredients anymore, but allows you to cook in the authentic way. Because it is easy to buy a curry paste, but it is nicer to make it yourself. It requires effort.

We didn’t want to focus only on cuisine from China, Thailand and Indonesia, but also from the more ‘unknown’ countries such as Myanmar and Laos. We wanted to start a one-stopshop, so we work together with a butcher where it is possible to get the meat or fish and the herbs and spices in one go. I also did a wine course, as when I went to a wine shop to get a wine to go with my Asian cooking, I never got good advice on which wine I should buy. We made a structure with five different flavours, five different colours and the wines to go along with those flavours. That makes our unique concept. We started our shop one and a half years ago.

I think that Hotelschool The Hague taught me to ’level with all levels’, meaning that you can adjust yourself to many different kinds of people. I get my vegetables from a place where people are down to earth, informal, but the people who come to the shop need a different approach; they are more sophisticated.

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The most valuable lesson I learned at the Hotelschool was how to multitask and to be flexible. I worked in the pharmaceutical industry on the marketing department. I didn’t know anything about the human body but you can adjust yourself and you can learn. I learned to be flexible because when a company changes, people can be so stubborn and I am not stubborn at all. I always think that change might be better, and that’s what you learn at Hotelschool The Hague.

If I look back on my time at Hotelschool The Hague, my internships were really memorable. I did my first one in Nice, I wanted to learn more about French cuisine and it was quite tough but it was good. The last one I did in Shanghai, China, in 1998 and it was also really special. What I enjoyed most about Hotelschool The Hague? I think all the friendships.

“Our dream now is to have more Kruid & Druif shops in the Netherlands and other countries and to obtain financial freedom to initiate many other projects.”

My biggest dream would be to have Kruid en Druif African cooking for example or Kruid en Druif South American cooking. But it is not my specialty, so I hope to meet people to collaborate with. Then I would love to own a warehouse, and on each level we would sell cuisine from another continent.

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Alumni of the Future “Don’t aim to change, but aim to improve yourself.”

- Zuzia H

“Don’t try to be something you’re not, because you are who you are.”

- Harmeet T

“Pursue one great goal with all your determination.”

- George M “Just be yourself and don’t fall into the social cliques you don’t feel 100% comfortable in... Find your people.”

- Karima W.

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Please follow us on Instagram http://instagram.com/hotelschoolthehague

“Don’t be afraid of failure. It means that you have the courage to try.”

- Charlotte L.

“I believe with endless drive and motivation you can reach whatever you want.”

- Emilie O.

“I really like the international environment and the future perspective.”

- Floris D.

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“Investing in yourself is investing in your future.”

- Sylvain V.

Philip Paternotte Grizzl

“After my Master I was ready for a serious career. So I started making fries!”

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I

chose to study at Hotelschool The Hague because I always had a thing about hospitality and I wanted to be educated to become an all-round General Manager.

I really enjoyed my time at Hotelschool The Hague. I had a fantastic time in the Skotel, learning to work together, doing everything together, working in groups. I learned a lot; it provides you the perfect basis for your future career. To develop even more and to deepen my knowledge, I followed a Master in Business Administration in Barcelona afterwards.

And then I was ready for a serious career. So I decided to start making fries, haha. Why not!

My first internship was at the St. Andrews Golf Resort where I worked as a sommelier.Very cool, working with drinks, advising people on the difference in wines. Before I started I only knew the difference between red and white wine. At the golf resort everything was so decadent, people just threw money around.

I received a lot of invitations because people wanted to get to know the course, and I knew the course. It was amazing: invitations for dinners, golf tournaments, from people like Hugh Grant, Kevin Costner and famous football players.

My second internship was at Heineken International, at the Sport Marketing Department. I was responsible for the activities around the Champions League, organising a Hospitality Programme for all their relations.

After my Master I applied for different jobs, but it was a very bad time and I received rejection after rejection. That’s why I decided to start for myself, and that was the start of Grizzl.

I missed a good tasty and sustainable snack in the centre of Amsterdam. I worked out a plan and convinced my parents and friends. The food truck scene was upcoming, so that was perfect. I bought an 8.5 meter truck which already had a fryer in it. The concept is simple: 5 snacks, always a combination between meat and vegetarian, and on the side, fries with skin. The great thing about a truck is that you get immediate feedback, you can see people’s reactions. So you know what snacks work, and which ones should be improved. We are now in our second season and we are doing even better than the first season. We are growing and slowly we are looking for a permanent location, a store.

The food truck does bring you to very special events. The most special so far was a Gothic festival, where everybody was dressed in leather and latex. We almost went to an event on a drilling platform. Pretty exciting, however unfortunately it was cancelled.

Where our name comes from? Well, a bear is always looking for food, and we are also always looking for the most sustainable options: more sustainable, ecological or locally produced. Taste comes first, secondly there has to be a division between meat and vegetarian, and thirdly it has to be sustainable.

Places with cheap fried snacks like Febo are no competition for us. We have a very different target audience. I do notice that the group looking for a better, healthier snack is becoming bigger and bigger. The same group is also looking for more vegetarian alternatives. We want to have a snack for everyone.

We are developing vegetarian snacks but we will always serve meat eaters as well.

In 5 years I would love to have stores in the 4 main cities in the Netherlands, with the food truck driving around the country as our business card. I can also see ourselves moving to different trucks, in different sizes focusing on different snacks, to be able to cater to different needs and in different situations.

For now the biggest problem for us is finding a good location in the centre of Amsterdam. So far we haven’t yet succeeded with that; we are still looking. But I can say with almost certainty that we will open a store next year!

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Dirk Karsten Karsten & Kuiper 50

I

once worked in catering and I enjoyed it so much, I thought: “I should do something with that!”After I finished my MBO Horeca I still wanted to learn more so I went to the Hotelschool The Hague and followed the Fast Track Programme.

I do not regret it at all, I had a great time. At the MBO you focus more on the practical part and now I could learn to think more strategically. I honestly enjoyed the classes and the atmosphere.

The vibe and the people that were there really appealed to me.

I did my internship at the Marriott in Beijing West. I recommend everyone to do an international internship. No one can take that experience away from you. China has such a different culture and it is great, but I don’t think I have the patience to keep working and living there.

After the Hotelschool I started looking for a job. A friend of mine had started a company, to advise other companies in telecom. I could contribute to it, so I stepped in and I did that for more than 5 years. Then we sold the company. We wanted to learn and do something different.

To build something from nothing is an amazing kick. Being creative and thinking about how the concept should look is really cool. We built the concept based on our own needs. I really enjoy cooking but sometimes you just don’t have the inspiration, time or lust to cook. And you usually end up with French fries, Thai, spare ribs or pizza. I thought: “I just want to eat something good and different”.

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At Karsten & Kuiper we have good quality, international dishes.

We have a pork roast that has been pickled for a full day for instance. We have lamb, but also shrimps. Products that represent us. In addition to that we have a lot of different vegetables, as well as lentils and couscous. So there is enough choice for everybody. You can visit our store and select your own menu or we cater to your home or office.

After that we decided who we wanted to target. Everyone who needs to eat is a bit too broad. We have been open for a couple of months and we can see who comes in. We found that our target audience is extremely diverse.

I gave training courses at Schiphol College, that is something I still do today and I really enjoy doing. I have worked for a Dutch energy company for a while. But now I am finally doing something that I love. Sometimes it takes some work experience to figure out what you really want to do. But this is definitely it for me.

“I just want to make people happy with my food!”

In five years we hope to have some more stores, not only in The Hague, but also outside. We want to become a known trademark. I hope that people have the immediate association ‘tasty and good food’ when they think of Karsten & Kuiper. I just want to make people happy with my food!

I

graduated from Hotelschool The Hague in 1985. At the time I studied, Skotel was still in the building on the Brusselselaan, a similar concept to the current Amsterdam campus. After Hotelschool The Hague I worked for Pullman Hotels. I first helped open the Pullman in Amsterdam, but then I had to join the military for my compulsory military service, unfortunately.

After my service I came back to Pullman Hotels, this time opening the Pullman Central in The Hague. This hotel is now the Mercure Hotel. Having worked there for one year, a new GM was appointed, who fired all the staff, so I ended up working for Hilton.

Afterwards I became Banquet and F&B Manager at Hotel De L’Europe in Amsterdam. I worked there for almost three years, meanwhile I decided to do a study to become a ‘Vinoloog’ at the Dutch Wine Academy. In 2012 I graduaded as Magister Vini (MV).

That is how I ended up working for Wijnimport J. Bart. It is a family company that started fifty years ago. Before changing to the wine trade, the founder Joop Bart was involved in the agricultural trade and Wijnimport J. Bart developed into a wine importing company. I now work as their National Sales Manager. The company has a very flat organisation with a small management team. We travel a lot for our work because we do our own selection and buying. French wines used to make up the largest part of our sales, but the world is opening up to many different regions now, such as Italy and South America.

We also import spirits, and we work with producers in eighteen different countries.

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Wijnimport J. Bart supplies wines to the Dutch Hospitality Industry. Having worked in the Hospitality Industry, it helps me to do my job better, because I understand the industry I am supplying for. We supply directly to our clients, which is a big advantage as we cut out a lot of players in the supply chain.

We aim to deliver qualitative wines, and as soon as one of our wines is offered in the supermarkets, we stop selling it. Due to the price sensitive market here in the Netherlands and our on trade market focus, we are never going to make our money selling off trade wines, but we still try to specialise on qualitative products. Knowledge of wines is very important in our company.

“As soon as one of our wines is offered in the supermarkets, we stop selling it” We also started an internet concept QV Select, were we sell high-end wines via the internet. The market is always changing, so our ways of distribution are also always changing.

Hotelschool The Hague prepared me for my work, because it is a very broad and general study.You learn a bit about everything and you gain a broad perspective on the hospitality industry. If I look at where my classmates ended up, everyone works in a different industry, living all over the world.

Ibert van der Waal MV Wijnimport J. Bart 53

Sylvie Meijer Zensybar

I

n 2014 Arjen Workum and I started the ZenSyBar. The concept consists of a colourful trailer modified as a food truck or mobile cocktail bar, able to adapt to any kind of party and festival. Fully equipped with a sound set and DJ, we bring show, taste and music together to offer a special experience.

As a student of Hotelschool The Hague, I hoped to acquire the capabilities needed to start my own company, and now that I am in my final year, this dream is already well on its way. Even though I have a history in hospitality, I never thought I would end up in it, as I was interested in the airline industry. But thanks to teachers like Mr. Gallicano, Mr. De Vos and many others who always speak with a lot of passion about hospitality, they succeeded to spark my enthusiasm in this industry as well.

When I started at the Hotelschool in February 2011, I was already a little older than most other students were, therefore, my main goal was to finish in time and simultaneously to get the most out of my education, so I would be able to start a small business using the knowledge and experience gained during these years.

The idea for Zensybar came to me when Arjen and I were brainstorming on how to combine our talents and interests into a business model. It needed to be a bar, be mobile and the name has to stick in people’s minds.

Tropical like Zanzibar, Zen to create a relaxing accessible atmosphere and with a small hint of our names, simply: ZenSyBar.

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Starting with little money we began our search and bought the cheapest, oldest, ugliest trailer we could find but still were able to haul it to a barn of a family member.

There we stripped it down and built it back up again.

After that, we gave it a surf-themed paint job. This whole process took a lot longer and was more expensive than expected.

“The sky is the limit, so let’s get it started!�

We also imported a new kind of ice making machine to be able to create a new product not well known in the Netherlands yet. Our main product is ice cream made on the spot, only using the freshest products. We also make coffee, smoothies, cocktails and small bites like the sparkling pepper strawberry.

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Is it risky to start a company during your studies? Partly yes, because you have many other obligations, like work, exams, projects and internships. But on the other hand it is the perfect time, since I can also get advice when needed. Being a student leaves me less time for my company but forces me to be creative with time and money. We tried to reduce the risk by making the investment as small as possible and were able to do this without any loans.

Our vision for the future is to expand, hopefully into more trailers or a solid business like a beach bar. Maybe even create our own product or franchise. We have many dreams and ideas, but first things first: Graduate! After that, the sky is the limit, so lets get it started!

Simon Spanjer Restaurant De Kraai 56

R

estaurant De Kraai used to be a self service restaurant owned by Albert Heijn as an AC Restaurant. The restaurant started in 1976. My parents took over the restaurant ten years ago, and I am now in the process of taking it over from them. The restaurant is located in the typically Dutch windmill village, Zaanse Schans. We use a specific machine to make the pancakes instead of cooking them in a pan, which guarantees quality. Using a machine helps us increase the number of people we can serve at the same time.

Our main target group are visitors to the Zaanse Schans, but we also organise events outside our regular opening hours. In total we have 400 seats, so we can accommodate large groups of people.

Hotelschool The Hague definitely prepared me for my work now. I did both my internships at hotels. My first one was at the Hilton in Amsterdam where I worked for the banqueting department. My second internship was in Cape Cod, USA at Chatham Bars Inn. Here I was the Restaurant Manager of the Beach House Grill. I did my placement in the US as I believe hospitality was invented in the US; many of the big hotel chains originated there. Working with Americans was a different cup of tea as they are not used to the ‘yes, but’ culture we have in the Netherlands. I also worked with many other cultures, and this was perhaps the most interesting part of my internship.

Hotelschool The Hague prepared us for these cultural differences by giving cultural classes. At least that is how it was when I was attending there.

The hospitality business makes you deal with different challenges and you have to work very closely with all the departments of the hotel. Learning to work in this kind of environment was a great advantage in my line of work.

Working in hospitality is mentally and physically challenging, and you have to be in top condition.

After my graduation, I went to work for Sales at Crowne Plaza in Amsterdam. Later I became Account Manager for a distributor of IBM. By working in different branches, I expanded my experiences and skills. However, I always wanted to be an entrepreneur and taking over the Pancake House was the closest thing I could do.

My biggest dream is to start something in the US. The Americans like pancakes and they like the Dutch. My dream is to combine those aspects and start a pancake house offering typically Dutch pancakes.

“My biggest dream is to start a pancake house in the US.” For now I am thinking of adding a Bed and Breakfast to the restaurant, or perhaps creating meeting spaces above the restaurant. In this way we can cater business events.

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I am enthusiastic about my work and I try to bring that across to my staff.You can serve the best pancakes in the world, but if your staff does not treat guests in a positive and friendly manner, your restaurant does not work. Investing in employees is important because then you know you are working with the right people. The more you give, the more you get back.

My advice for Hotelschool students is to follow your heart and your dreams. Do what you like to do, not what others want you to do. If you are able to do what you like, you are thinking positively. Of course you have to deal with setbacks, but if you are able to fight them, and you win, a lot of great things can happen!

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Maarten Vooijs The Hospitalitist

I

found Hotelschool The Hague through my own research. I didn’t know any students or had no relatives who studied there. My affection for the hospitality has been with me since I was little. Making people feel welcome and caring for them has always been very important to me. I have worked in restaurants, bars and hotels since I was 15. I am a people person and always felt really happy serving people or making them feel at ease.

I started in stewarding and worked my way up from bar to kitchen, to restaurant. The year before I started the Hotelschool, my neighbours, who both came from Hotelschool Maastricht, got me a job as a Restaurant Manager in the east of The Netherlands. I was only 18! But I managed quite well.

I even won the AHM Globe Award for Belevingshotel Bad Boekelo.

For me the Hotelschool was the first time I found so many like-minded people around me, all with a Bourgondian lifestyle.

The teamwork throughout the Bachelor Programme suited me: dividing roles and taking responsibility for a certain part of a project. We also got to know each other in a great way.

For my first traineeship I went to the Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle in Scotland. I even put my study on hold for six months to get placed there. This has been one of the best times in my life so far. My second traineeship was with Hilton International where I have been the assistant to a Senior Director of Learning and Development EMEA. I was responsible for facilitating training programmes and gatherings across Europe and managed the new online learning platform.

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After my first traineeship I started with The Hospitalitist and I have continuously been busy building it up ever since. In 2008, before my management internship, I found my partner Daan Meischke. I worked office hours for Hilton and evening hours and weekends for The Hospitalitist. We had our Graduation day on Friday and the next Monday we opened our first office in Amsterdam.

Today we have a multi-million company working for over 100 hospitality companies throughout the Netherlands, with over 300 talents on the payroll. I am very grateful for the last 10 years and I am resolute in letting this company flourish even more the upcoming years.

“You can only connect the dots afterwards” I am still connected to the Hotelschool. I have over 100 Hotello’s working for our company and The Hospitalitist is the main sponsor of student association Comitas. I am also a guest lecturer for Jeroen Bosman and am the vice president of INCH, the International Network Connecting Hotelschool graduates.

Steve Jobs once said: “You can only connect the dots afterwards”. And I totally agree. Do not underestimate the influence your actions of today have on tomorrow. Always do your best and spend the most energy in finding your own drivers and motivation. Never ever spend one minute on things you don’t like.

“Quality food and beverage is my passion.”

I

did Atheneum at the Sint Nicolaas Lyceum in Amsterdam. At that time the Hotelschool was located in a wing of the same school. I had my selection day in rooms that used to be my old bicycle shed and gym. I followed Marketing classes where I used to follow classes like Greek or German. I had a great time at Hotelschool The Hague, of course. For the Skotel I literally had to move 500 meters. I came with my overnight bag, five minutes before I had to start. It was quite intensive the first year, but very nice.

I don’t remember that many teachers to be honest. Mr. Gropas, who taught Total Quality Management, he was a really great teacher. He would say, “Suppose we make an atomic bomb...”

And the whole class would laugh. It had to do with the fact that you can’t make any mistakes while making a nuclear bomb, the same goes for hospitality in a sense. Every detail is crucial, quality is everything. Mr. Dupre for Marketing was good as

well, I still remember the BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal). In general the Hotelschool is a great education for hospitality and helps a lot in terms of network.

Good quality Food & Beverage is my passion. My final internship was at the Sofitel The Grand Amsterdam.

Afterwards I became assistant F&B manager at the Ambassade Hotel. I was offered a permanent contract, but I thought, “This is going a little too fast.” So I went to South America for a few months to learn Spanish.

In my career I have encountered quite a number of setbacks.

Together with a friend I set up a restaurant but after two months we found out that we couldn’t continue with our staff and we had to quit our jobs. After working as a manager in yet another restaurant for two years, I decided together with chef Erik Zonjee to start our own restaurant and we found a great place on the Zeedijk in Amsterdam after looking at over 15 places.

Lucas Schopman EARTH Concepts 60

We already hired staff and arranged suppliers. We had a logo and website and already did a lot of interviews for different newspapers. But, unfortunately, we couldn’t start because of an upstairs neighbour, who was a lawyer specialised in environmental law, who sabotaged everything.

I went to Ibiza for a year to work as a Restaurant Manager in the Blue Marlin. Only they had forgotten to inform the other managers that I was coming. I asked for SOP’s, training schedules, wine lists, etc. I had to explain that I was one of the new restaurant managers. They felt threatened and tried to make my life hell. I worked very hard, and also learned a lot. In the end I did have a great time on Ibiza; great people and beautiful island. I worked between the rich and famous; Paris Hilton spending €50.000 in 4 hours for example. Or a Russian family who rented the whole place to have a Cirque du Soleil-like wedding. Film sets, things like that. Good experience, but over the top.

One day, there was a group of Dutch people who didn’t have a reservation. I squeezed them in anyway and so I met the founder of EARTH Water, who asked if I was looking for a job. I had served EARTH Water in a restaurant I worked in so I knew the concept already. I went back to Amsterdam after the season and 2 days later I met with Patrick and Henk, the founders of EARTH Concepts. Now I already work for EARTH Concepts for 2 years as a Sales Manager Horeca.

Recently we expanded to EARTH Coffee and EARTH Tea, high quality, organic and with natural flavours. Most people know us by the blue Tetra packaging. That remains our most sustainable packaging. For every tree that is cut down, four will be replanted.

We were the first in the Netherlands with 100% biodegradable plastic, and we are the only company that uses 100% recycled PET. Our coffee is 100% organic, 100% Arabica, top quality and in special packaging without aluminium. And also EARTH Tea is 100% organic and is packaged with recycled paper and biodegradable nylon.

Everything has been thought through, that is what I love about working for EARTH. We want to make people aware of the growing problem that while we have the luxury of drinking clean water from the tap, literally 6,000 people die every day because they have no clean drinking water.

Transparency is very important. When we say 100% of the net profit, where does it go? Therefore, we installed an advisory board that controls us and all of our projects can be followed online. On our website you’ll find all of our current projects.

For €500 we can already build a well, so 3,000 people will have clean drinking water. We also support sanitation projects in schools. And with the Life Build project, we train people to become a plumber for example so they can support themselves. That is why our motto is:You never drink alone.

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Matthias Schenek DasEis. 62

It all started when I was living in Frankfurt, in walking distance to the DasEis. store. At this time I worked at Sheraton as a full time trainee, but felt attracted to work for this company on a part time basis. Their integral view on sustainability and the product they offered convinced me from the very first moment. I really enjoyed working for a company and a place like this, as the connection with customers was much more personal. Now I mainly work in sales and manufacturing.

I’m looking forward to introduce DasEis. to the Dutch market by making use of the connections I made through Hotelschool and let everyone who is attending the 85th Anniversary taste this awesome product.

I

n summer 2013 I started as an International Fast Track student at Hotelschool The Hague. After this very intense time, especially the very demanding summer course, I am now doing LYCAR, the preparation phase of my professional career.

A former colleague of mine at the Sheraton, who also did the International Fast-Track programme, recommended Hotelschool The Hague to me, due to the quality/price ratio and its worldwide reputation.

Since 2011 I work for DasEis., a company that produces organic premium ice cream. We offer fruit sorbets, milk ice creams, frozen yoghurt and vegan ice creams, in which we substitute the milk by e.g. hazelnut or almond milk.

Our list of ingredients is condensed to only the necessary ingredients, which sometimes leads to only two ingredients, like mango-puree and agave juice for our mango sorbet. So no water, no sugar, no preservatives, no artificial anything. Especially in the last years we excelled with our vegan ice creams, as we do not use any soy, mainly due to the controversial opinions about the healthiness of it. The cups we use to serve the ice creams are completely bio-degradable. By local sourcing we try to bring the impact to nature to a minimum, and the ingredients that can’t be produced in Germany are fair traded. By becoming the first and only CO2 neutral ice cream manufacturer in Germany, we continued to grow our competitive advantage.

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I’m currently planning the next steps for my professional career. I am sure I will stay in touch with this company, but I focus now on finding a placement, preferably in a smaller hotel, focused on sustainability, in southern Africa or central America, as the eco-tourism is growing rapidly in these regions.

Martijn Kwast Kwast Wijnkopers

I

started studying International Business at the Erasmus University, but that was not my thing. I come in contact with Hotelschool The Hague through my parents. I checked out both Lausanne and Hotelschool The Hague, but I deliberately chose the Hotelschool because it focuses more on the business side of the study. I started in Amsterdam with the first group of students at the new campus. Both my parents studied at Hotelschool The Hague, so with a small detour I followed in their footsteps.

When I first started in Amsterdam, the Skotel was not quite ready and we got a letter that we had to find our own apartment. That was quite a hassle, but luckily I was able to arrange a place via some friends. Here we always had around ten guests staying with us. That ended up being so much fun that we came up with the idea to start a student association.

Together with seven other friends, I founded Comitas.

As we were the first group of students in Amsterdam, the start of our study was a bit chaotic. All the lecturers and students had to figure out how everything worked, but it was a lot of fun. After three months at Hotelschool The Hague, the Skotel was completed and we moved in there. It was a huge building for just 60 students, so we used the extra space to build a cinema and play hockey in the hallways.

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There were so many memorable moments at the Hotelschool; just the entire study in itself was great. However, probably one of the best things was being so involved in setting up Comitas.

I never started at the Hotelschool with the intention of working in hotels, so when looking for an internship, I didn’t really focus on hotels. For my first internship I went to South Africa. I worked for a major wine producer who also had a hotel, but for the most part I worked at the winery, which was a lot of fun. For my final internship I went to London. Here I worked for the Castel Group. I was responsible for a project in which a French company was bought by an English company.

I had to help integrate the two. I was the only one who could speak both French and English, so I acted as a translator. It was a great learning experience.

“Together with seven friends, I founded Comitas.”

After graduation I went straight on to study for my Masters at Nijenrode. I can highly recommend it. A Master really takes you much deeper into your study, and the programme at Nijenrode matches well with the Hotelschool The Hague curriculum. During my masters I wrote my final thesis for Heineken, and after my graduation I started working for the

American Constultancy company Kurt Salmon Associates.

Here I worked as a consultant for big fashion companies such as Calvin Klein and Abercrombie and Fitch. I purposely chose to leave the world of food and beverage I was used to working in to broaden my working experience. Whilst I was working as a consultant my dad had an accident, so I made the decision to start working for the family business. I have always had a fascination for the wine business, but I broadly oriented myself.

Now I run the family business together with my father.

In five years time I still see our company as an independent family business, supplying wine to hotels, restaurants, bars and specialised wine shops. Furthermore, our company constantly aims to become better in what we do.

One of the current trends that I see in the wine industry in The Netherlands, is a higher demand for pure and elegant wines, which have a story behind them and can be offered to our customers for a competitive price. Consumers are looking for fresh and enjoyable wines as opposed to the heavier wines which were popular in the past.

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Florian Stallinga Hugo’s

I

was working at the Floriade, where I worked with many Hotello’s who got me enthusiastic about Hotelschool The Hague. However, before I started I took quite some gap years, but gained quite a lot of work experience in hospitality.

The Hotelschool was great! However, it took me six and a half years to complete it. I enjoyed living in Skotel a lot, even though I grew up around the corner. My favourite lecturers were Mr. Gallicano, Mr. Ouwehand, Mr. Vos and Mr. Van de Kreeke.

They had a lot of knowledge in the field of food and beverage, which is where my interest lay as well.

I did my first internship in Dubai, where I worked as an F&B intern for a Thai chain. For my second internship I was the Beverage Manager for a large Marriott Hotel in China. I was meant to stay in China after my graduation, but the place I was going to work for ended up being a big scam, so my plan crashed. I returned to Amsterdam and ended up working at the Conservatorium Hotel as the Bar Manager during their opening period, after which I went on to become a manager for a few restaurants in Amsterdam. Then, I got an offer to become co-owner of a new concept: Bar Hugo. We have now been open for one year.

Bar Hugo is a great cocktail bar, but we are also a restaurant.

The cuisine is French oriented and is influenced by different flavours from around the world. Many neighbours form the basis of our loyal guests.

The bar culture in Amsterdam is strongly emerging. There has been an explosion over the past few years of good bars and restaurants in the area. We have not yet suffered from the competition, but Amsterdam is very sensitive to trends, and people often forget the good places that already exist when something new comes along.

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In the future I want to work less in operations, and I hope to have opened a new concept. In five years I still hope to be working in Amsterdam, having opened a few more successful places. I also started a consultancy project, which hopefully will grow over the next few years.

Why do I want to stay in Amsterdam? I actually do not have a bond with any place outside of Amsterdam here in the Netherlands. I was born and raised in Amsterdam, and even studied here. I would, however, love to live abroad, but I do not see that happening any time soon. Perhaps in ten to fifteen years.

A subject I did not find useful during my time at Hotelschool The Hague, but now consider being useful is Managerial Finance. I had to re-sit it, and I hated it, but it turns out to be quite handy in retrospect.

I do not regret that it took me six and a half years to complete the study. I always worked a lot outside of school hours, and that definitely helps me now. At school I always made sure that the group projects went well.

My advice for current students is that it is important to be aware of what you want to do in the future. Seeing as the study is so broad, a lot of people do not know what they want, but being able to specialise is an important tip!

A big thank you to our

CAIPI BOYS

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Sponsors

ANDREW NICHOLLS

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Magazine Editor Miriam Sperling Deputy Editor Annemiek den Boer Associate Editor Roger Staats Editorial Assistant Anneloes van der Steenstraten Art Director Vivian van der Wielen Art Editor Giampiero Maietti Photography Giampiero Maietti, Annemiek den Boer, Alumni Cover: Diego Riveros Berry With thanks to: Alumni, Simone Williams, Fabienne Baart, Sylvia van der Tuin, Elaine Cardoso, Jan van de Kreeke, Sjaak Ouwejan, Sander Allegro, Sjaak Smit, Stefan Hollen, Vincent Splinter, Marcel Bakker, John de Koe, Nico Bulwada, Robin Augustijn, Xuan Huynh, Caroline Quast

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Address: Hotelschool The Hague Campus The Hague Brusselselaan 2 2587 AH The Hague The Netherlands

Hotelschool The Hague Campus Amsterdam Jan Evertsenstraat 171 1057 BW Amsterdam The Netherlands

Email: smc@hotelschool.nl Telephone: +31 88 028 18 00 Website: www.hotelschool.nl Webshop: www.hotelschoolwebshop.nl Facebook: facebook.com/HotelschoolTH Instagram: instagram.com/hotelschoolthehague

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