N °4 3 02/25
LUXEMBOURG’S FOOD & LIFEST YLE MAGA ZINE
CHEF PORTRAIT
M AT H I E U VA N WETTEREN: DISCIPLINE & C R E AT I V I T Y
BUSINESS
COST EXPLOSION: THE PRICE OF COFFEE
HOTEL PORTRAIT
LA MAISON SA ARLOUIS: SMALL , REFINED, UNIQUE
13 € LU X E M B O U R G EUROPE: 14,50 € WORLD: 18,40 €
NEWS
MICHELIN GUIDE BELUX 2025
I T ’S R A INING STA R S 28 April 2025 was a memorable day for Luxembourg’s culinary scene. During the Michelin Guide ceremony in Antwerp, four Luxembourg-based restaurants were honoured, proudly representing the country in the prestigious Red Guide.
TEXT MARION FINZI
L
ouis Linster, the young chef at the restaurant Léa Linster, was awarded a second Michelin star, joining Cyril Molard (Ma Langue Sourit), who had until then been the only two-starred chef in the Grand Duchy. The moment on stage was filled with emotion, as his mother, Léa Linster, came on stage by his side, visibly moved. Chef Linster admitted he was surprised by the recognition: “Honestly, I didn’t think it would happen this year.” When it was announced that only two new two-star awards would be given, he felt a sudden pressure: “That’s when I really started to get nervous.” Eventually relieved and overjoyed, he said, “There’s almost nothing more motivating than knowing your work is truly recognised and appreciated.” He also views this star as a way of carrying on the family legacy: “I’m extremely proud of the work my team and I have done, but also of being able to keep the family name alive.” Also joining the newly starred chefs is Clovis Degrave of Grünewald Chef’s Table, praised for his “explosive cuisine served at the restaurant’s counter.” Deeply moved on stage, he emphasised: “This star gives us new visibility, and for us – with three restaurants and one hotel employing 70 people – it’s invaluable.” In another pleasant surprise, Archibald De Prince earned a star for his restaurant in Echternach, opened just six months ago. Rachel, his partner and maître d’, shared: “We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved... and we hope this star puts Echternach on the culinary map of Luxembourg.” Lastly, René Mathieu once again became the proud holder of a Michelin star and also a green star for his new restaurant Fields. He recalled with emotion the moment he opened the final envelope the name of his former souschef Archibald, who served with him for eight years at La Distillerie. “Before I even opened it, I knew it was for him, and I’m thrilled to see him take flight on his own.” The 2025 Michelin vintage promises a bright future for the culinary arts in the region.
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Archibald De Prince, René Mathieu, Louis Linster and Clovis Degrave.
“THERE’S ALMOST NOTHING M O R E M O T I VAT I N G T H A N K N O W I N G Y O U R W O R K I S T R U LY R E C O G N I S E D A N D A P P R E C I AT E D .” LOUIS LINSTER
NEWS
LU X EM BOU RG’ S CU L I NA RY EL I T E
MOSCONI LU X E M B O U R G
RYÔ D Ô LU X E M B O U R G
ARCHIBALD DE PRINCE EC H T ER N AC H
L A VILL A DE CAMILLE ET JULIEN LU X E M B O U R G
G R Ü N E WA L D C H E F ’ S TA B L E D O M M EL DA N G E FIELDS F I N D EL
APDIK T STEINFORT
BAZA AR LU X E M B O U R G PA R C L E ’ H D U D EL A N G E
MA L ANGUE SOURIT MOUTFORT
G U I L LO U C A M PAG N E S C H O U W E I L ER
K R E S TAU R A N T H U L DA N G E FA N I R O E S ER LÉA LINSTER FRISANGE
BIB GOURMAND
G R EE N S TA R
1 S TA R
2 S TA R S
A MICHELIN STAR AT THE CENTRE POMPIDOU-METZ: WHERE ART MEETS CULINARY PROWESS
© R O Z A S AY F U L L A E VA
French chef Charles Coulombeau has just been awarded a Michelin star for his fine dining restaurant Yozora, located inside the Centre Pompidou-Metz – a first in France for a museum-based restaurant. Already starred for his La Maison dans le Parc in Nancy, Coulombeau has adds a second star to his name with Yozora. At Yozora – which means ‘night sky’ in Japanese – each dish reflects the chef’s great sensitivity and careful attention to local products, artisans, and suppliers. With only about twenty seats, Yozora delivers an intimate and exclusive experience, inspired by the Japanese omakase tradition. The meal concludes with a tribute to the museum: a dessert inspired by a work on display at the museum, presented on a miniature easel set on the table and recreated on the plate by the chef.
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REGIONAL & SEASONAL
Since November 2023, Belgian-Irish chef Killian Crowley has been heading the kitchen at the hotel restaurant ‘Beim Schlass’ in Wiltz. Known for his regional, seasonal and sustainable approach to cooking, he was named ‘Chef du Terroir 2025’ by the Gault&Millau guide. As part of our Regional & Seasonal series, he shares a recipe each season that puts the spotlight firmly on the quality and flavour of local ingredients. For summer, Crowley is serving up a true classic – tasty, quickly prepared, and refreshingly simple. The tomatoes come from Ferme du Ponceret near Bastogne, and the burrata from Fromagerie du Luxembourg. A no-fuss dish where the fresh ingredients speak for themselves.
RECIPE KILLIAN CROWLEY PHOTOS ENIA HAECK
HEIRLOOM TOMATOES & LUXEMBOURG BURRATA SERVES 4
10 MINUTES
• 1 kg heirloom tomatoes • 100 ml olive oil • Fleur de sel, pepper • 1 burrata (Fromagerie du Luxembourg) • Garden herbs
1 Briefly blanch the tomatoes in boiling water,
then cool them immediately in ice water. 2 Cut into various sizes and shapes,
then arrange on plates like a carpaccio. 3 Season generously with fleur de sel and pepper. 4 Tear or slice the burrata and place
it over the tomatoes. 5 Finish with fresh garden herbs and,
if you like, a few seasonal extras.
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CHEF PORTRAIT
M AT H I E U VA N W E T T E R E N
DISCIPLINE A ND FR EEDOM When cooking is your religion and a Michelin star the holy grail, what next for an ambitious chef once they’ve achieved this prestigious culinary award? Mathieu Van Wetteren, who received his first star in 2024, shares his journey to top chef with us and where his path is headed next.
TEXT MARION FINZI PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSK AS
B
elgian-Luxembourgish chef Mathieu Van Wetteren greets us warmly. He looks relaxed and is smiling affably. “It’s taken me 20 years to get to where I am today: content in myself and my work and the proud owner of a Michelin star,” he beams. At his restaurant Apdikt in Steinfort, the head chef serves an unpretentious cuisine that has gained in depth over the years, constantly driven by the pursuit for the perfect taste experience. This culinary curiosity is deeply rooted in him. “I inherited my love for good food and wine from my father and from the best cook in the world – my grandmother on my mother’s side,” he tells us. But it was not his grandmother who taught him the joy of cooking. Mathieu Van Wetteren fell in love with the world of gastronomy when he was 14 years old: “I was helping out in the kitchens at the restaurant in the Pall Center and had to peel 60 kilos of shrimp for scampi. What struck me the most was the great atmosphere in the kitchens. I felt right at home.” Mathieu had found his place and his passion. However, what this “slightly crazy” artist (as he describes himself) needed if he were to seriously pursue a profession in cooking was a strict and structured training environment. And so he enrolled on a three-year course at the hotel management school in Namur. “I like rules and structure, but at the same time I’m also an artist. As contradictory as it sounds, I needed a very disciplined environment to be able to express myself freely.”
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CHEF PORTRAIT
This experience was to have a lasting impact on him: “Discipline calms the mind,” as he likes to say. And creates the foundation for freedom.
T H E PAT H TO H I S OW N R E S TAU R A N T After graduating from hotel management school, there was no question of which culinary direction this young artist, who has always been both a perfectionist and a free spirit, would take his career in: haute cuisine. “During a placement at La Plume d’Oie (in Nadrin, Belgium), I acquired a taste for gourmet cuisine that ignited a real fire within me,” he recalls. Although this placement lasted just a few short months, Mathieu has fond memories of the kindness and support he received – especially since it opened doors for him: “It was thanks to the head chef at La Plume d’Oie that I secured a position with the team at one-star restaurant Héliport in Liège.” It signalled the start of his career. After positions in various Michelin-starred restaurants (including The Jane** in Antwerp and Sea Grill** in Brussels), it was time for Mathieu to open his own restaurant. “I come from a family of entrepreneurs. I grew up in that world, and so it was the logical path to take,” he explains. Nevertheless, he admits that the reality of running a restaurant soon hit home: “When you run a restaurant, you not only have to be a top chef, but also a good businessman.” Luckily, coming from a family history of self-employment gave him the basic toolkit for his business to survive. From the outset, the chef knew what he wanted to create and offer his guests: an exceptional gastronomic experience. He found the perfect location for this in the former pharmacy in Steinfort. His restaurant Apdikt boasts a small dining room with minimalist, yet inviting décor and an open kitchen where diners can watch the master at work. His concept, the set menu, was quite innovative for the time. “At first, guests would come but leave immediately when they saw that there was no choice on the menu. But I didn’t care – my restaurant, my rules.” Vegetarian options and last-minute changes? Not at Apdikt! Mathieu wanted a fixed menu with no customisation options.
“ W H E N YO U R U N A R E S TAU R A N T, Y O U N O T O N LY H A V E T O B E A T O P C H E F, B U T A L S O A G O O D B U S I N E S S M A N . ” M AT H I E U VA N W E T T E R E N
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F E AT U R E
THE TA LE OF THE TOM ATO Tomatoes come in a delightful array of colours, shapes and sizes.
T E X T O L I V E R Z E LT
C
harlie Byles was an expert in two things: cars and tomatoes. In the early 1930s, the car mechanic from West Virginia cultivated impressively large beefsteak tomatoes – some are said to have weighed up to two and a half pounds! Byles grew new plants from the seeds of his crop and sold the tender shoots from out of his car shack for a dollar each. With the profits, he was able to pay off the loan for his mechanic’s workshop much quicker than anticipated. Byles named his tomatoes ‘Mortgage Lifters’. It’s probably one of the most bizarre – but true! – tomato name stories ever!
A B OTA N I C A L B O N A NZ A The tomato is a fruit from the nightshade family and comes in an incredible variety of shapes and sizes. The ‘Black Plum’ thrives alongside the ‘Red Pear’ and the pink ‘Silesian Raspberry’. There are also ‘Banana Legs’, ‘Date Tomatoes’, ‘Pink Grapefruits’ and ‘White Peaches’, as well as ‘Beefsteak’ and bottle-shaped ‘Green Sausage’ tomatoes. Weighing in at just a few grams or as heavy as a pound. Green, yellow, orange, red or even blue. The fleshy fruit dates back more than 2,000 years. Today, there are thought to be more than 10,000 varieties of tomato worldwide. Although you wouldn’t think it, looking at the supermarket shelves... While heirloom tomatoes may be less durable than today’s highly cultivated varieties, they certainly pack more flavour.
FROM SOUTH AMERICA TO EU R O P E The tomato originates from South America, in the region around the Andes, where it was cultivated by the
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T O M AT O E S C A N W E I G H AS LITTLE AS A FEW GRAMS OR AS MUCH AS A POUND.
F E AT U R E
indigenous peoples, the Incas and the Aztecs. When the Spanish conquistadors invaded the region in the early 16th century, they brought tomatoes back to Europe with them on their triumphant return. Back in the Old World, however, people were not so sure... English botanist John Gerard described them as “rancid and foul-smelling”. The fruits were indeed tiny, with a tough skin and a slightly bitter taste. In his work ‘Species Plantarum’, published in 1753, Swedish biologist and botanist Carl von Linne classified the tomato as a poisonous ‘wolf peach’ and a member of the nightshade family of plants, some of which are poisonous. Indeed, the leaves, stems and unripe fruit of the tomato should not be eaten, as they contain the alkaloid solanine, which can cause mild poisoning.
F R O M C U R I O S I T Y TO C U I S I N E
FAIRTRADE TOMATOES IN LUXEMBOURG Luxembourg’s Cactus supermarkets sell Fairtrade-certified tomatoes grown by organisation Desert Joy in El Hamma, Tunisia. State-of-the-art drip irrigation reduces water consumption and recycles up to 50 percent of the water in a closed cycle. Bee boxes and their flying occupants ensure effective pollination. Magnetic fields are used to combat parasitic insects biologically and sustainably.
The round fruits from South America fascinated Europeans, who, captivated by their beauty, initially kept them as ornamental plants. Because most were yellowish in colour, rather than the familiar red we associate tomatoes with today, they were named ‘golden apples’, or ‘pomod’oro’, from which we get the Italian ‘pomodoro’. The English ‘tomato’ is derived from the Aztec ‘tomatl’, meaning ‘swollen fruit’. In some European countries, the tomato was considered an aphrodisiac, which is where the Austrian German ‘Paradeiser’, the shortened form of ‘Paradiesapfel’ – or ‘paradise apple’ – comes from. Italian cookbooks from the 16th century, in which it appears as an ingredient, show that the tomato eventually made its way into the kitchen. The vast majority of tomato varieties are not suitable for cultivation in cooler climes. The seeds need at least
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F E AT U R E
In collaboration with
PAPPA AL P OMODORO SERVES 4
• 1 tin (750 g) whole peeled organic Italian tomatoes • 1 onion, finely chopped • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped • 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil • 100 g stale bread, torn into pieces • 600 ml chicken stock
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20 MINUTES
• 2 tbsp fresh basil • Salt & pepper • 2 pinches of sugar • A few pomegranate seeds • Peppery pecorino cheese, crumbled
1 Soften the onion and garlic in the olive oil over
a medium heat for 8-10 minutes. 2 Add the tomatoes and sugar, and let them burst open. 3 Use a whisk and a pair of kitchen scissors to break
them down into a purée. 4 Add the bread, mix well, then pour in the stock.
Simmer for 10 minutes. 5 Serve in a shallow bowl with a twist of pepper,
a drizzle of olive oil, crumbled pecorino and a few pomegranate seeds.
In collaboration with
F E AT U R E
BEEF TOM ATO WITH SLOW-ROAS TED TOM ATO FILLING SERVES 4 1 HOUR
• 2 large beef tomatoes, halved and deseeded
• 4 round vine tomatoes, cut into eighths and deseeded
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil • 1 clove garlic, chopped • 2 tsp oregano • 1 tsp brown sugar • Bertrand’s salt and pepper • 3 tbsp unsalted roasted peanuts
• 1 tbsp dried tarragon • A few sprigs of cher vil 1 In a bowl, toss the vine
tomatoes with the olive oil, garlic, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. 2 Spread on baking paper and roast at 160°C for about 45 minutes (they should reduce by half). 3 Lightly season the halved beef tomatoes with Bertrand’s salt and let them drain upside down for 15 minutes. 4 Fill them with the warm slow-roasted tomatoes and serve with the roasted peanuts, tarragon and chervil.
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BAKING CLASSICS
When Alessandro Vitali steps into the kitchen, even the simplest recipe becomes a sweet Italian escape. With a twinkle in his eye and a passion for indulgence, the pastry chef whips up a berry tiramisu that’s as light and joyful as a summer breeze along the Amalfi Coast. Buon appetito – or in Alessandro’s words: “Dessert should make you smile!”
R EC I P E A L E S S A N D R O V I TA L I PHOTOS ENIA HAECK
BERRY TIR A MISU SERVES 6 1 1/2 H O U R + C O O L I N G For the cream • 220 ml fresh whole milk • 60 ml Amaretto • 60 g egg yolks • 50 g caster sugar • 20 g cornflour • 3 g powdered gelatine • 15 ml cold water • 100 ml double cream (36% fat) • 125 g mascarpone For the Amaretto syrup • 60 ml Amaretto • 100 ml water • 50 g caster sugar • 5 mint leaves For the garnish • 250 g fresh raspberries • 125 g blueberries • 125 g redcurrants • 20 g mint leaves • 6 sponge fingers
TIP
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. For an alcohol-free version, replace Amaretto with milk in the cream mixture and water in the syrup.
BAKING CLASSICS
1 Bring the water and sugar to the boil
2 Mix the powdered gelatine with
with the mint, then add the Amaretto. Strain and leave to cool.
the cold water and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.
4 Pour the milk-Amaretto mixture over
5 Pour the cream mixture into a clean
the whisked egg yolks, mix well and return to the pan. Cook over low heat until boiling.
bowl and add the soaked gelatine. Mix well with a whisk. Leave to cool to 30°C.
7 Fold the whipped cream mixture
into the Amaretto cream to create a smooth, homogeneous mousse.
8 Lightly dip the sponge fingers in
the syrup. Cut half the blueberries and raspberries in half.
3 Heat the milk and Amaretto in a
saucepan. Separately, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and cornflour.
6 Whisk the double cream with the
mascarpone until smooth and airy.
9 Layer glasses with the Amaretto
mousse, cut the berries and soaked sponge fingers.
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IN NUMBERS
FAC T S & F I G U R E S
A GR EEN ER WAY TO BA R BECU E Summer’s barbecue season brings rising temperatures – and soaring carbon footprints. Today’s grilling isn’t just about flavour; it’s about environmental impact too. The traditional barbecue – with its heaps of meat, charcoal, and disposable plastics – takes a heavy toll on our planet. But there’s a better approach: embracing plant-based alternatives, locally grown veg, sustainable charcoal and minimal packaging can make your summer feasts both delicious and eco-friendly. These figures reveal the striking difference this makes – and highlight where Luxembourg and Europe are already making headway.
IN NUMBERS
E M B R A C I N G P L A N T - B A S E D A L T E R N A T I V E S , L O C A L LY G R O W N V E G , S U S TA I N A B L E C H A R C O A L A N D M I N I M A L PAC K AG I N G C A N M A K E YO U R S U M M ER F E A S T S B OT H D E L I C I O U S A N D E C O - F R I E N D LY .
40% of Luxembourg residents plan to choose more vegetarian or vegan options for their future barbecues.
3.5 kg CO₂ is released by a traditional beef burger on the grill – compared to just 0.5 kg for its vegan counterpart.
2030 0.0 kg CO₂ +280% all food packaging is set to be either recyclable or compostable.
are produced by solar grills – a specialist product that’s steadily gaining popularity.
increase in plant-based barbecue product sales across European retailers since 2019.
1,850 16,000 2021 litres of water go into producing a single kilogram of pork – potatoes require merely 250 litres.
tonnes of single-use tableware is estimated to be discarded across the EU during the summer months alone – mostly from barbecues and picnics.
single-use plastic items like plates, cutlery and straws have been banned throughout the EU.
25 minutes 80% is all a disposable charcoal grill tray burns for – yet it generates over 1 kg of CO2 .
of all charcoal sold in Europe comes from unsustainable forestry practices.
S O U R C E S T N S I L R E S 2 0 2 4 , O X F O R D M A R T I N S C H O O L / E AT E R N I T Y, E U C I R C U L A R E C O N O MY AC T I O N P L A N , E C O I N V E N T/G R E E N T E C H E U , N I E L S E N / P R O V E G E U R O P E , WAT E R F O O T P R I N T N E T W O R K / FA O , E U E N V I R O N M E N T A G E N C Y - 2 0 2 2 , E U R O P E A N C O M M I S S I O N , G E R M A N F E D E R A L E N V I R O N M E N T A G E N C Y/ E X T R A P O L AT E D F O R E U , W W F E U - 2 0 2 3
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