Gault&Millau Belgium presents the winners of the Culinary Innovators Awards 2022
On Monday 16 May the 5th edition of the Gault&Millau Culinary Innovators took place in Kemzeke. After being postponed twice due to Covid, expectations were high and were met at all levels. More than 100 innovative companies, individuals and organisations were nominated for an award in one of the 10 categories. Before, during and after the awards ceremony, more than 20 top chefs and event partners treated the 550 participants to an innovative culinary show.
Discover pictures of the event here.
The winners of the Culinary Innovators Awards 2022
- Sustainability award : Humus x Hortense
www.humushortense.be - Education award: Instroom Academy by Seppe Nobels
www.instroom.academy - Product award non-food: Plant-T
www.plant-t.be - Product award food: Crème Brûlée Vegan & Without Added Sugars by Didess
www.didess.be/nl/producten/creme-brulee - Product award drinks: Vir/gin by blendbrothers bag-in-box
www.blend-group.eu – www.drinksdrop.nl/kant-en-klare-cocktails-voor-horeca - Restaurant philosophy award: Instroom Academy by Seppe Nobels
www.instroom.academy - Digital & social media award: Restaurant Boury
www.restaurantboury.be - Institution award: CropExplore
www.flandersfood.com/nl/projecten/cropexplore - Marketing award: GIMBER
www.gimber.com - Entrepreneur of the Year: Sergio Herman
www.sergiohermangroup.com
About the winners
The winners of this fifth edition make us think more than ever about how we can consume better and more consciously, with particular attention to our planet (Humus x Hortense, Instroom Academy, Plan-T and CropExplore). They show that the influx and training of talent remains an essential condition for the sustainability of the hospitality sector (Instroom Academy). But also that the digital aspect of a restaurant is becoming increasingly important (Restaurant Boury). Various forward-looking companies from Belgium and the Netherlands (Didess, Blendbrothers, Gimber) have created innovative products for both the catering industry and the consumer. Our Entrepreneur of the Year (Sergio Herman) combines several of these elements and thus continues to build a culinary empire in which a sense of quality and successful conceptualisation are paramount.
Sustainability award : Humus x Hortense
Humus x Hortense is a vegetarian restaurant that strives for zero waste. This vision also extends to a mocktail/cocktail combination. The vegetarian dishes are taken to a very high level where we do not miss any meat or fish. The restaurant was born out of the desire to change the food system on the basis of sustainable values. The botanical tasting menu follows not 4 but 24 micro-seasons according to the daily harvest of the organic farm Le Monde de Mille Couleurs. The team always looks for the highest quality ingredients while avoiding food waste, thanks to ancestral preservation techniques and zero waste botanical cocktails.
Education award: Instroom Academy
An Antwerp-based organisation, headed by chef Seppe Nobels, which guides refugees into the F&B market. Refugees are given training in Dutch and basic knowledge before they start cooking. They prepare dishes that they remember from before, but with local products from our country. In this way, the course participants also get to know all the local ingredients and their integration is accelerated. Seppe gives them a green touch and raises the whole thing to a gastronomic level. Every employee in the kitchen and dining room is being trained. A culinary academy disguised as a restaurant. At the Instroom Academy, the customer pays for the training, not for the meal…
Product award non-food: Plant-T
David Van Steenkiste, a trained chef, has been passionate about herbs since he was a young boy. He has been experiencing more and more problems in his garden due to climate change and persistent drought. So he started looking for a solution and eventually found hydroponic towers, or vertical farming. Famous investor Marc Coucke believed in David’s plans and within a few months Plant-T was born. Plant-T was launched in early 2021. Aeroponictowers save an average of 95% of water compared to conventional agriculture. The technology improves crop yields and produces more nutrient-rich plants. The innovative design is an added bonus.
Product award food: Crème Brûlée Vegan & Without Added Sugars by Didess
This Vegan Crème Brûlée by Didess is made from vegetable ingredients and has no added sugar. It is therefore perfectly suited to a lactose-free diet and is suitable for diabetics. The crème brûlée has a creamy mouthfeel, familiar from the classic variant, and is flavoured with real Madagascar vanilla (Bourbon). The company has also developed a sugar substitute, ‘Sweetess’, which can be sprinkled on the crème brûlée and then burnt. In this way, sugar can be replaced in a 1:1 ratio by a low-calorie, high-fibre product. Simply defrost, burn and serve.
Product award drinks: Vir/gin by blendbrothers bag-in-box
With the Vir/gin and other variants, blendbrothers provide restaurants with high-quality bag-in-box cocktails. The jury was impressed by the Virgin Basil Smash: a fresh, non-alcoholic cocktail with a pleasant spiciness that gives the impression that alcohol is being consumed. These bag-in-box cocktails save on staff costs, provide a consistent product and minimise waste. These cocktails and mocktails are revolutionary because of their extended shelf life and, most importantly, their superior quality. It is also easy for the user to turn the mocktail into a cocktail by adding an alcohol. A way to further increase efficiency in catering establishments.
Restaurant philosophy award: Instroom Academy
An Antwerp-based organisation and restaurant run by the inspirational Seppe Nobels, which guides refugees into the F&B industry. The refugees are trained in Dutch before they start cooking. They prepare dishes that they remember from before, but with local products from our country. In this way, the course participants also learn about all the local ingredients and their integration is accelerated. Seppe gives them a green touch and raises the whole thing to a gastronomic level. On the menu are dishes such as ‘Afghan Pakaura in Vlaamse Velden’ and ‘El luicito’s Gizo de Ayaca, aan het strand van Oostende’. This is food with a higher purpose.
Digital & social media award: Restaurant Boury
Boury’s restaurant imposes a rather remarkable visual identity on various online platforms. Not only is their website visually strong, but the restaurant’s social media pages are also of exceptional quality. Moreover, all facets of the restaurant (the people, the food, the wine…) are beautifully represented. A striking example is their Instagram page, which has a strong visual identity and beautifully depicts the people, the product and the dishes.
Institution award: CropExplore
CropExplore is a cooperation between Flanders’ FOOD, ILVO, UGent, KU Leuven, Boerenbond and Foodlab Proef! The main objective of this project is to inspire and encourage companies to develop new products from plant-based raw materials. The idea is to create a knowledge matrix of at least 150 known and lesser-known plant crops/raw materials, collected in a handy online tool, with specific search functions and fact sheets with properties of the crops and their derived raw materials in the food sector. In this way, the project aims to respond to society’s ever-increasing demand for richer, plant-based nutrients, new flavours, authenticity and sustainability.
Marketing award: GIMBER
Thanks to an original and qualitative product and very effective marketing campaigns, GIMBER has become one of the best-selling soft drinks in and from Belgium. Made with organic ginger, GIMBER gives the right boost to mocktails, cocktails, hot drinks and recipes. Other highlights include original marketing campaigns with a presence at trade fairs and design shops, collaboration with models, links with art and health, food associations and recipes with Gimber, and various special editions (e.g. GIMBER for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day). From Paris to Seoul, from Ibiza to London, from Berlin to Milan: GIMBER is everywhere today and has clearly been strongly marketed.
Entrepreneur of the Year: Sergio Herman
Sergio Herman has gone from being a top chef to one of the largest restaurant entrepreneurs in the Netherlands. In addition to Le Pristine, Pure C, AIRrepublic, AiRcafé, Blueness Cadzand, Blueness Antwerpen and various Frites Atelier’s, he still has a number of very creative projects in various countries. What makes Sergio so great is that he has a huge amount of inspiration, but he also knows how to encourage young potential chefs. He is highly respected by his staff and knows how to motivate young people, which makes him an example for the sector. What is remarkable is that each concept is developed in a very well thought-out way.
About Culinary Innovators
Gault&Millau is actively working on the future of gastronomy through the Gault&Millau Culinary Innovators project. The Gault&Millau Culinary Innovators team is constantly looking for innovative products and ideas, organising or participating in seminars and events, and publishing articles about culinary innovation on www.gaultmillau.be and culinaryinnovators.com. The aim is to keep the sector attractive, exciting and interesting, and to give the most outstanding initiatives the extra visibility they fully deserve through the Gault&Millau Culinary Innovators Awards Show.
For Marc Declerck, CEO of Gault&Millau Belgium, the project fits perfectly into the framework of the expansion and renewal that has been the focus for the past ten years. “We have been food consultants for many years with a wide range of references, such as the Ostend, Tomorrowland, Gare Maritime and RSC Anderlecht. Together with Neuhaus, we have developed various partnership experiences and are committed to expanding the culinary sector, for example with our POP selection (young and trendy restaurant addresses that are often referred to as ‘fast casual food’ today) And finally, with various activities in the catering sector, through assignments for leading groups such as Compass, Aramark and other companies. These are all initiatives dedicated to innovation and quality enjoyment. We are passionate about what we do, which generates the energy to keep coming up with ideas ! This year, on 7 November, our team will publish the twentieth edition of the Belux Restaurant Guide, which remains our calling card with 30,000 copies sold.
