Grand Hotel Karel V

Geertebolwerk 1
3511 XA Utrecht
T +31 (0)30 233 75 55
E info@karelv.nl

Maître and Sommelier, Johan Kragtwijk

Our culinary ambition is: top gastronomy at a gourmet level, which is achievable if everyone is committed. Attentiveness, service, and hospitality are rare things these days. Thankfully, our people provide just that. We have a good, fun team that is capable of emulating the wishes and expectations of the guest. Being able to empathise with the guest - while taking your own capacities and limitations into account- is not something you can learn. You’ve got to have it in you… Read more »

“It’s about a suitable wine, not the most expensive one”

Maître d’Hotel, Johan Kragtwijk, together with a team of 2 assistant Maîtres, 10 restaurant staff members, 1 breakfast supervisor and 7 breakfast staff members, is responsible for the service in Grand Restaurant Karel V, which was awarded a Michelin star in January 2005. Johan was runner-up in the 2003 Trophée Ruinart Award contest, the official competition to select the best Sommelier of the Netherlands.

“I just love people. You can tell whether or not they want to talk by their non-verbal behaviour. There are also those who tell you their whole life story. The perfect guest does not exist, nor does the perfect host for that matter. Each table is different, each night is different. The ambiance may be somewhat deceptive, but we are relatively low-threshold. Our outfit is part of this ambiance; after all, we’re a bit like valets in a palace hall. Guests enter. They feel the ambiance and automatically have high expectations. Living up to that expectation is great, all it requires is ambition, motivation, drive, and knowledge. Even though I am completely exhausted at the end of an evening. It really is hard work.”

“Wine gets my juices flowing. It’s not about the most expensive wine, it’s about selecting a suitable wine. The job of sommelier? You grow into it. My father was one of the first viticulturists of the Netherlands. Over the years, I’ve built up an extensive network thanks to my membership of the Sommeliers’ Guild: tasting sessions, information on the latest developments, exchanging experiences. And I follow and organise seminars and lectures. I also participate in tasting panels and juries: from wine magazines to contests. I love doing that too. And of course I’m very proud of our Michelin star. It confirms your position in the premier league. And the guests know: it’s good. A second star? That would be absolutely fantastic!”

“Jeroen endorses the culinary signature which I fully support. It’s a signature that I wholeheartedly propagate. Jeroen and I know each other well; we are in touch throughout the entire day. And there are similarities between us. We both love a no-nonsense approach, we are aware of what is at stake and the two of us have our feet firmly on the ground. And even though I am a dab hand at cooking, I am not a chef. I could not possibly prepare food at the same level as in the kitchen. The refinement, the details, everything is at such a specialist level; there is no way I have the skills. You have to be able to focus, which is not one of my strong points. And that is the main difference between working in the restaurant and working in the kitchen. There is no clear division between the chefs and waiters either. This is impossible in a top business like this. The cooperation is perfectly balanced, which is also because we have the same goal: the guest decides and pays. Even if a guest wants their meat well done - ‘á point’ is an art in itself - we do whatever the guest wants, which can be a tricky task for the chef as each dish is an individual creation.”

“I like a glass of wine and good food. It’s a must in this profession. I also like sports and I am a race instructor at the Zandvoort race track. The people at the track have a hard job believing that I do this job when they see me in my dirty overalls, unshaved face grubby hands. My favourite way to clear my mind is to put my helmet on and race around the track at about 250 km per hour. There must be a healthy balance between work and play.”