25 YEARS.. PASSION FOR THE CRAFT
“I sometimes joke that I must have been adopted, because I completely lack the hospitality gene. As a child, I did not enjoy growing up in a family that ran a restaurant at all. My parents were always working. They could not tuck me into bed every evening, they could not always take me to activities, and holidays were often not celebrated or were celebrated at a different time. If hospitality is not really your world, as a child you mainly notice the things you are missing.”
From Little Sister to Right Hand
“My own role within the family business came about quite unexpectedly. In 2019, after a long period of illness, I started reintegrating into work. My mother could use some help with the administration, and Mes Amis was a safe place for me to slowly ease back into a working rhythm. It was supposed to be temporary. Until, in March 2020, the doors had to close from one day to the next because of Covid-19. During that strange period, I developed a huge sense of responsibility. Suddenly, it was about the uncertain future of my mother, my brother, and the rest of the team. I took on many additional tasks and, even after 2022, when everything gradually started to feel normal again, I was spending more and more time at Mes Amis.
Working together as brother and sister was something we had to learn. When we were fourteen and sixteen and both had part time jobs at Mes Amis, we were constantly arguing on the work floor. That typical bickering between brother and sister. When I came back to work at Mes Amis ten years later, it was quite a challenge. In Patriek’s eyes, I was still his little sister, while he was suddenly not only my big brother, but also my boss. It took time before we truly understood each other professionally. Once we discovered how well our qualities complemented one another, our bond became stronger than ever, both professionally and privately. At a certain point, we sometimes no longer needed words to know what the other was thinking, and I had often already taken care of something before he even had to ask.”
A Little Bit Infected After All
“And to be honest, I also came to understand much better what my family finds so beautiful about the hospitality profession. It gave a real thrill when the restaurant was running well or when, after months of preparation, everything fell into place during an event. The enthusiastic reactions from guests, the wonderful people we got to work with, and the sense of pride afterwards made it something very special to create together as a family.
When it became clear last year, for health reasons, that I needed to organise my work differently, we decided together, in very good consultation, to continue again simply as brother and sister, as mother and daughter. But with a much stronger bond and far more mutual understanding. Since April this year, I have been working as a management assistant at the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, and the work life balance I need is now much better. I am still on Patriek’s speed dial, but now as his little sister with a great deal of knowledge and experience, which he still happily makes use of on a regular basis. I still do not think I have the hospitality gene, but Mes Amis is now permanently part of my DNA.”
