Traditionally trained caterer

17 february, 2016

Those driving onto the driveway of the Domain de la Blommerie in Mouscron, hearing the creaking of the soft gravel, and seeing the buildings rising up, will know straight away why Christophe Baert wanted to locate his catering business here. A farm until 2002, this piece of heritage was transformed with lots of ideas and love into an authentic location with a particularly large amount of charm. Christophe’s style is perfectly suited: an excellent French cuisine with innovative touches where the quality of the products is always key. 

Those driving onto the driveway of the Domain de la Blommerie in Mouscron, hearing the creaking of the soft gravel, and seeing the buildings rising up, will know straight away why Christophe Baert wanted to locate his catering business here. A farm until 2002, this piece of heritage was transformed with lots of ideas and love into an authentic location with a particularly large amount of charm. Christophe’s style is perfectly suited: an excellent French cuisine with innovative touches where the quality of the products is always key. 

Like father, like son.

During his years at Hotel School Ter Duinen Christophe Baert already knew what he wanted to do. Over the years, his father’s bacon butchery in Mouscron had grown into a catering business called: ‘La Maison Baert’. It was Christophe’s childhood ambition to continue the family business. “Compared to a normal restaurant, the working methods of a catering business are completely different. So I asked my supervisor at Ter Duinen to find me an internship in this specific part of the industry. I was sent to ‘traiteur Lefevere’ in Brussels where I learned the ropes. The great thing about this is that you can offer great variety: from a simple sandwich to a luxurious plate with caviar and lobster. I always put in the same passion in order to make a dish which will surprise and delight my customers. But being a caterer does bring with it challenges in the area of logistics. A sensible human resources policy, strict planning and good equipment management are of paramount importance.”

A family business

Luckily, he does not have to do that all on his own. “I only have to cook. My wife, Nathalie Vandendriessche, is the one who keeps everything under control”, says  Christophe with a wink. “The fact that there are two of us makes all the difference. La Blommerie is a real family business as both my sister and sister-in-law work here too. Organising a catering service like ours, with our own rooms as well as bookings at our client’s premises requires people you can trust with blind faith.” He describes his cuisine as refined French, classically based with innovative touches. “Now that people travel more, they also want to taste a slice of foreign things on their plate. This is why I try to incorporate influences from the world kitchen. The starting point is and remains the quality of the products. That is why I took a long time looking for a suitable delicious olive oil with a good price:quality ratio. Until I found the refined taste palette of the Vale De Arca olive oil. A very refined, fruity flavour with a soft bitterness which is very pleasant. And I use it in warm as well as cold preparations. We also put it on the tables in small bottles. A few years ago I had the opportunity to visit the domain Vale De Arca. I was welcomed with open arms by a charismatic couple who treat their products with the same passion and the same eye for quality.”

The perfect table

If he was allowed to choose how to lay his perfect table, it would be a traditionally classic table. Christophe: “I love cooking for a traditional banquet at high level. With silver cutlery and crystal glassware and the complete service just the way I learned at Lefevere. The kitchen value of catering companies is sometimes too little recognised. Not that I want to be awarded stars, but a bit more recognition would be welcome. Take for instance, Bocuse d’Or, a prestigious competition, but Belgium does not fund a cook and his products to take part in this international competition. Apart from taking part in the competition you are also keeping your own restaurant running. Providing support is often more difficult in countries which are divided in regions and federations, it seems. I am proud, on the other hand, as a chef, to promote my country and products from my country. I plead for more cooperation and that is also why I am active in Euro-Toques. I have organised several foreign missions with chefs of various stature where we work together to export our Belgian cuisine and let the foreign market get acquainted with the quality of our products. They are as it were the building blocks used for my own business too: quality products, services and tradition tailored to the client”, Christophe concludes.

For more info: www.valedearca.com and www.blommerie.com

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