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Go JRE-Inside+Interview with Jeroen Sportel
Jeroen Sportel is chef at restaurant Viva la Vie. After obtaining his culinary degree, Jeroen worked at restaurant De Vlindertuin in Zuidlaren, under the lead of chef Jilt Cazemier, as well as at restaurant De Loohoeve in Schoonloo, where he worked as a head chef for five years. Nowadays, he draws inspiration for his cooking from his travels throughout Asia and utilizes all his experience at his own restaurant, Vive la Vie in Groningen. We asked Jeroen a couple of questions to learn more about his cooking style, his love for Norway lobster, and exciting new culinary trends.
I would describe my cooking style as based on French cuisine with Asian influences.
Vive la Vie
What is your favourite ingredient to work with?
Norway lobster. It’s a refined product, wonderfully soft and full of flavour. It’s a great ingredient to combine with others.
Who is one of your top suppliers or producers?
My top suppliers are Cuimed, a lovely young man with passion, beautiful spices and products, Hanos: they always deliver quality, a wide range of products, including ones from the region and Schmidt Sea Fish, they have the best fish.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your culinary career?
The biggest challenge I've had in my career was starting a restaurant during the economic crisis of 2013. It was a big and creative challenge to get the financing in place. Another, more fun challenge for me, is cooking abroad.
Which gastronomic trend are you excited about the most?
Veganism is a huge trend. In the future, a different diet will have to be established to prevent the earth and its resources from becoming exhausted.
If you could only eat one dish for the rest of your life, what would that be?
A good curry.
Thank you, Jeroen.
Book your table at restaurant Vive la Vie
Try top chef Jeroen Sportel’s delicious modern cuisine for yourself at restaurant Vive la Vie in Groningen, the Netherlands. You can easily make your lunch or dinner reservation through our website.
