Luuk Hoffman, IV Sammic Scholar for BasqueStage

Luuk is a recent graduate from Hotelschool The Hague, where he received two cook degrees. He is now studying for a professional degree at Sterklas university. Luuk was born to Dutch parents in Lutong, Malaysia, and has lived in The Netherlands and Oman. His goal is to cook in top restaurants around the world and find a place that is most suited for his own restaurant. On his bucket list are Alinea, Fat Duck, Librije, and Quay. All these chefs have different styles and ideas about cooking which he wants to experience. Luuk believe “sour and bitter tastes make good dishes great. From a chef I used to work with (Roel Gillisen*) I’ve learned that it takes all four flavors (leaving Umami out or now) to balance a dish. I prefer lighter dishes where structure is very important in order to keep the palate interesting.” He sees the final step in his career as opening up his own restaurant so he can leave diners wanting one more bite.