Vlaamsch Broodhuys specializes in artisanal bread for 25 years now. You can get it at two shops at the Meent and Nieuwe Binnenweg, at the Bakers Café they also sell pastries, delicacies and other baked goods.
These Baker’s Cafes are close to the home of the owners Dimitri Roels and his wife Diante. As they live in picturesque Schiedam next to Rotterdam. But for a long time, there wasn’t a Bakers Café in their hometown. But now there is one at Korte Haven, also known as the testing ground of Vlaamsch Broodhuys. A place for quality bread but also breakfast, brunch, lunch, high-tea and drinks.
Although Dimitri Roels came into contact with the baking profession at a young age, he initially wanted to become a chef. His studies and first work experience brought him into the starred kitchens of the Netherlands, Belgium and France, such as De Swaen in Oisterwijk, then with Cas Spijkers as head chef, Pierre Wynants’ three-star restaurant Comme Chez Soi in Brussels and Joël Robuchon’s restaurant of the same name in Paris. In France, he met Max Poilâne, the authority when it comes to sourdough bread. He inspired him to introduce a new experience of bread.
Real bread
He was fortunate that he married a woman who shares his vision. In 1996 Dimitri and Diante started baking nutritious and tasty sourdough bread with their Vlaamsch Broodhuys. Since then, they have introduced top chefs and later also Dutch households to real bread.
Now, 25 years later, Vlaamsch Broodhuys has grown into a company with 16 – soon 19 – Baker’s Cafés in six cities. Various shop-in-shops and a webshop with delivery service.
The anniversary will be celebrated with the introduction of Pain Toussaint – a modern sourdough bread 2.0. The entirely new bread is inspired by son Toussaint. Two of the three bakers’ sons already have their own bread: Pain ‘Christophe’, made of rye sourdough with linseed and salt crystals on the crispy crust, is named after the eldest son. A spelt bread was named after Julius, the middle son, ‘Julius Spelt’; a play on words because of his dyslexia. A beautiful type of bread for the youngest son has been in the making for a long time, but this year has finally arrived: Pain Toussaint – the youngest member of the bread family – will be available in Baker’s Cafés from 2022.
