"A dish must reflect the soul of the chef": a double interview with Alain Caron and Erik de Boer

As soon as Alain Caron (Paris, 1957) fashionably late walks into the office of Eat2Gather on the Egelantiersgracht in Amsterdam, a cheerful atmosphere immediately arises. There is laughter, shoulder pats, and hugs, as it has been a long time since former colleagues Alain and Erik de Boer last saw each other. The reason for this reunion? Especially for the Culinary Expedition, we set up a duo conversation between the two gentlemen, who met each other in the nineties at the famous Tante Koosje in Loenen aan de Vecht. 

"We laughed so much back then," says Erik. As espressos and macarons are placed on the table, the gentlemen talk about their shared history, the steps they have taken in their careers since then, and their love for pure and honest flavor combinations. The connection the two chefs had back then is still palpable. "I remember exactly the day you came," says Alain warmly. "You came from Klein Paardenburg and were a bit searching. The owner of Tante Koosje said to me: 'Alain, you remain chef de cuisine, but you do so much – purchasing, orders – you need a pillar. That is Erik. From now on, you two will do it together.'" 

A top duo 

Alain continues: "We made long days in the kitchen, often more than sixteen hours a day, because it was incredibly busy at that time. Fortunately, we could work very well together. We were really a top duo." Erik: "Everyone came there at that time: famous footballers, actors, people from the media. At one point, Lionel Richie suddenly stood on the doorstep. After a turbulent period, Alain decided to leave, Erik took full control of the kitchen. He tells: "At one point, a man came to eat with us, who turned out to be Paul van Craenenbroeck. He said afterwards: I am chief inspector at Michelin. If you cook as well as you do now in a year, something beautiful will happen. Exactly a year later when the guide came out, we had a star. Then people were queuing up." "That was more than deserved," Alain replies with his charming French accent. 

Familiar face

Now, years later, Alain Caron is a familiar face on television, among others as a culinary specialist at BinnensteBuiten, a daily lifestyle program at KRO-NCRV. The general public got to know him as a jury member of the TV cooking competition Masterchef. Together with his wife Roel and two of his sons, he created a small hospitality empire, consisting of various restaurants: Café Caron, a French bistro in the Pijp, its little brother Petit Caron, and De Gouden Reael, where Caron began his Amsterdam cooking career in 1983. In 2019, he took over the restaurant. Two years ago, Cantine de Caron was added, a cozy brasserie in a historic building on the Westergasterrein in Amsterdam. He has numerous cookbooks to his name, including The Bible of French Cuisine. 

Three stars

Erik de Boer cooked together three Michelin stars over the years. At Tante Koosje, at De Nederlanden, and at Lakes in Hilversum. After thirty years, he decided to change course and started his own freelance company in the field of consultancy and menu development. He is also regularly hired as a chef, including for the events and private dinners organized by Eat2Gather. That is no coincidence: Erik is the husband of Karien Olthof, owner of the successful culinary organization agency. 

Culinary icons

Back to the conversation. It goes in all directions, as it should when two old colleagues have not seen each other for a long time. Alain talks about his first meeting with his great idol Paul Bocuse, the world-famous founder of nouvelle cuisine. "During that introduction to 'monsieur Paul,' I made what you call a Grand Entrance. I was so nervous, I dropped everything from my hands." Erik laughs out loud. "That man even had his own toilet paper. He was truly a great figure." Other well-known names from the culinary world are also discussed. Jon Sistermans, for example, whom both gentlemen knew well. "A great chef. But not an easy man." Joop Braakhekke, who recognized the talent of the young Alain when he had just arrived in the Netherlands. Through Braakhekke, he got the chance to work at De Kersentuin – another iconic restaurant from the nineties. "Joop was such a kind man. I learned a lot from him." 

Anti-trend and anti-ego 

Anyone who hears the two men talking together immediately realizes how much their passion for honest food connects them. "When Alain came from Paris to the Netherlands in the eighties, the culinary landscape here was quite a desert," says Erik. "A lot has happened since then, in a positive way." People in the Netherlands are open to many things, as evidenced by the success of the Caron family's restaurants. The menu features dishes that are traditionally French. Calf tongue, for example, or chicken liver cream. Clear food, but presented in a refined way. Keeping up with trends? The Caron family prefers not to. Erik agrees with this. "I am really in favor of cooking purely from yourself as a chef, not constantly copying each other or coming up with all sorts of complicated flavor combinations to be interesting. As a guest, I am not waiting for that. It should be about taste, purity, and honesty. Beautiful, local ingredients. I think you do that well at Cantine de Caron and Café de Caron." Alain: "It's about giving your guests a nice evening. The kitchen contributes to that. A bistro should be the place where you want to come with family, friends, or your loved one, where the food is real and recognizable, at an affordable price. But whether you come to a diner or a top establishment, the soul of the chef must be recognizable in the dishes. Not the ego."