Simplicity, that's what we're good at
“We may not be the best, but we do try the hardest, right Jordy?” Cees nudges his son-in-law, who, along with daughter Angela, is responsible for the shop and the chocolaterie, while we get a tour of the efficiently arranged bakery on the Vijzelgracht. That seems very modest to me, because Holtkamp is a household name in the city – and far beyond. Holtkamp's croquettes are world-famous and the classic cookies, chocolates, and pastries in the shop window all look equally stunning. They are little works of art, artisanally made from the finest ingredients and with a love for the craft. But that comment characterizes Cees Holtkamp, because if there's one thing he has believed in all these years, it's the power of simplicity. Precision: also very important. That is the essential difference between a pastry chef and a cook, he says. “With pastry recipes, everything is very precise. So we weigh everything to the exact gram. Even the water!”
Learned young…
Cees learned the craft at a young age. As a 12-year-old boy at the boarding school with the brothers in Voorhout, he learned to make shortcrust pastry, cut out cookies, garnish pastries (writing with chocolate), and make pudding – just to name a few examples.
During a trip to the annual Stille Omgang in Amsterdam, a nocturnal pilgrimage through the historic center, he was captivated by the city. At the age of 22, he moved into a room there, took a job at a pastry shop on the Van Baerlestraat, and fell in love with the daughter of his landlady: Petra. The rest is history. In 1969, he took over the pastry shop from J.G. van Nie. A real mom & pop shop, he says. Father was in the bakery, mother in the shop. With that, Cees and Petra continued a tradition, because there has been a pastry shop at Vijzelgracht 15 since 1886. It wasn't always easy, because in those early years, the bank was difficult and the city was very different from now. But the Holtkamps kept pioneering, sold croquettes to passersby, and thanks to a print in the Parool with a column by Carmiggelt, the business became a household name. The patisserie assortment grew, and more and more grand cafes and restaurants featured the products on the menu. Every day, people still find their way to the beautiful art deco shop. It's a constant flow of customers, and Cees is now a local celebrity. He has been retired for many years, but remains active. He gives tours of Amsterdam and enjoys life with his Petra and their family. And the fact that he occasionally takes a walk through the bakery from the cozy home above the shop and watches with satisfaction as the ladyfingers are baked seems to make everyone happy.
Keeping up with the times!
After Cees handed over the business to his daughter Angela and her partner in 2002, he began documenting his patisserie recipes. 'De Banketbakker' with more than 300 recipes, all perfected in his little kitchen above the shop, became a bestseller. The 'Kleine Banketbakker', for cookie and pastry bakers from 5 years old, is also a roaring success.
Together with Jonah Freud, owner of the Cookbook Shop in Amsterdam, he is currently working on an English translation of De Banketbakker. This book will be in stores at the beginning of 2020. But as nice as such a delicious, thick recipe book is: Cees keeps up with the times.
In collaboration with Ronald Hoeben, culinary photographer and journalist, Cees makes videos for the popular Foodtube. Assisted by granddaughter Stella, he explains a number of recipes and bakes them for the camera. His recipe for stuffed eggs is finger-licking good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f4fUMI9jCg
