Thijs Meliefste MELIEFSTE

Marcel the fisherman

“My most important source of inspiration is our neighbour Marcel, who’s our fisherman. His boat is 15 metres outside our front door. In theory he fishes for eel, but he teaches us so much more about the different types of fish and seafood he comes across. So apart from eel, we often have wonderful bycatch such as shore crabs on the menu. Marcel isn’t a fish shop, but every day we’re surprised by what he brings us from our surroundings. This keeps our menu varied and exciting, and our work too.”

Mature cheese with piccalilli

“Ever since we opened in 2015, we’ve had mature cheese and piccalilli as an appetizer. Its appearance evolves all the time, but the taste stays the same. The flavours remind me of the past: I used to eat mature cheese and piccalilli sandwiches when I was a small child. At the moment we’re serving it in the shape of a fish. It’s so delicious. You eat one, and you immediately want more, and it gets you in the mood for the next course. That’s exactly what we want!”

After his first introduction to a gourmet restaurant in the village of Yerseke, Thijs Meliefste (b. 1987) gained experience in various European Michelin-starred restaurants, including Maaemo in Oslo and The Fat Duck in Bray, which was then number three in the world. In 2015 he returned to Zeeland and caused a stir as patron cuisinier of the Meliefste restaurant at the Wolphaartsdijk marina. Gault&Millau awarded him the prestigious title of top young chef of the year in 2020, and he earned a Michelin star in the following year.