Joris Bijdendijk: The Dutch chef who does it all

In 2014, Joris left Restaurant Bridges to start a restaurant that was truly his own.  Supported by the Rijksmusuem in a 10 year renovation, the opening had high expectations of this young Dutch talent. 30 years old and fresh-faced back on the Dutch culinary scene from his time in France, it was the true beginning of Joris’s exploration in developing his core philosophy of being a kitchen of Dutch gastronomy.

Armed with the artistic freedom of creating his own menu, Joris focused on the usage of local ingredients with hints of the melting pot of cultures which have shaped Dutch cuisine.  It was an exciting time where Joris’ range of delivery was so broad from a slowly spit-roasted celeriac to a ‘Rijsttafel’, an Indonesian elaborate meal adapted by the Dutch.

Yet, it was an unassuming dish but a dish that gave a glimpse towards a solid direction of growing into a cooking style that suited him the most: simple, authentic and focused on quality. On presentation, the ‘Holy Trinity of Leidse Blaarkop’ was butter, buttermilk ice cream doused in the creamiest foam with snowing of ‘Leidse’ cheese.  More importantly, this dish was all about preserving forgotten crafts.  Centuries ago in the Netherlands, there were hundreds of Leidse cheese makers.  Yet, now there are only ten and this dish showed that in the various stages of this Blaarkop milk, he actively chooses to cherish craftsmanship.

In the last decades, the true demand of a culinary experience has evolved so much that it makes it sometimes difficult to navigate.  Each phase inspires a generation of chefs trying to piece together their personal aesthetic style in a niche and understanding the role they each have to play in that genre.  Most of the time, the evolution is involuntary: Joris chose to make his own. 

As a chef, he is experimental, daring, curious and downright exciting.  As a leader, he is present, thoughtful, determined and proactive. He shows his precision and curiosity needed to consistently push the boundaries of what is required in the world of food and the accessibility in communication and his belief that if inspired, everyone can cook.  From writing eight cookbooks in the last eight years, a weekly column for the national newspaper and teaching school children about the importance of ingredients in the Rijksmuseum garden, his sense of enthusiasm and responsibility about that is consistent through the years.

Upon receiving his first Michelin star at RIJKS, Joris started his second adventure to open Wils restaurant in 2019, which felt closer to where he began his love for food.  As a child who learned early on in his family’s land in the Belgian Ardennes how to forage and cook on an open fire, it was a concept that lived very differently to RIJKS.  While RIJKS,  by this time carried the refined nature of sophisticated flavours, Wils is an homage to the primal interactions with one of the oldest cooking equipment known to man: Fire.  The flavours are smokey, acidic, fatty yet fresh, you can almost taste Joris’s experiences as a child cooking on an open fire in those dishes. 1 year after opening, Wils received a star.

At RIJKS®, he has a signature dish, the beetroot Mille Feuille with Tomasu beurre blanc.  A dish which through the years has evolved to, in principle, a simple yet aesthetically beautiful layered beetroot carved in the thinnest of millimetres, slowly shimmering for hours in the juice of its own.  Dutch ingredients, french finesse and Joris’s own brand of execution makes this dish a masterclass in showcasing the simplest ingredients in its absolute finest performance.  The most admirable thing Joris did with mastering his now signature dish?  In his true fashion in believing that everyone can cook if they know how, he published the recipe online.

More than 2 decades in gastronomy also meant that Joris was able to shape his authentic style: to celebrate Dutch produce while honoring its rich heritage.  Central to his philosophy is a profound commitment to community food circularity and his dedication is reflected in his innovative use of local ingredients. By actively collaborating with local makers and farmers, Joris often utilizes overlooked or underappreciated items, transforming them into familiar yet surprising dishes. 

In a time where the world has grown more conscious of their contribution to the future of our planet, Joris chose the most efficient way to understand the work he needs to do.  By engaging with Deloitte in a Strategic Impact Assessment of all his restaurants, Joris chose to validate and embrace his decisions in the ecosystem by using data-driven conclusions.  In this investigation across his restaurants, over 6,000 ingredients were examined for impact of which the learnings came to the heart of his informed choices. 

A bite that perhaps best explains this is a simple snack: puffed rooster comb with dutch shrimp sambal.  A part of poultry often discarded, this bite brought second life to an otherwise traditionally ‘wasteful’ product.  For Joris, this practice is not merely a professional obligation but a personal mission; he believes in the importance of understanding the food cycle and changing perceptions at scale.

In the pursuit of arming himself with data-driven knowledge, Joris went on to build a foundation, Low Food, founded on the desire to create more conversations, knowledge and thinking within Dutch gastronomy towards the macro impact of the food. He had a vision where he wanted to make the Netherlands leading when it comes to forward thinking on subjects such as sustainability and inclusion with two core themes of food security and the sustainability of the food and agricultural system.  

Joris is a rare breed of chef who is unfazed with adversity but chooses to actively walk into challenging situations with unrelenting curiosity. That vulnerability and transparency in growth is what makes Joris so relatable as a chef and person.  He helps make the concept of “fine-dining” closer to a feeling of exciting discovery than a genre of stiff dining.  Most importantly, Joris is a chef committed to sharing his love for cooking, a goal to make the Netherlands a culinary destination as well as being in the business of doing better within his industry and beyond. And that, you believe he will.

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