Franky Vanderhaeghe

The Climb

Franky Vanderhaeghe trained at Jacques Debacker before working at Robert Van Duuren in Brussels from 1990, a sequence that set the tone for the precision now attached to his name. Since 1991, he has been shaping Hostellerie St.-Nicolas with Michael Vanderhaeghe and Marieke, building the house step by step around a steady rhythm of service and cooking. Later, he moved Hostellerie St.-Nicolas to its current location, opening the hotel with 4 rooms and then expanding it to 6 rooms, a measured growth that matches the pace of the cuisine. Today, Franky is chef and owner, and that dual role is central to how the house runs: authored, continuous, and exact in its details.

Today

The kitchen is built on local products, freshness, balance, and consistency. Those are not decorative terms here; they are the working rules of the style. The cooking stays close to the ingredient and avoids excess, relying on restraint to bring clarity to the plate. What enters the kitchen matters, and the selection itself does much of the shaping before the first cut is made.

Career - chef and owner — Hostellerie St.-Nicolas, Elverdinge (1991–present) - started collaboration with Michael Vanderhaeghe and Marieke — Hostellerie St.-Nicolas, Elverdinge (2018–present) - worked at — Robert Van Duuren, Brussels (from 1990) Education: Jacques Debacker

Signature

The signature dishes follow the same ingredient-led logic. There is varkenswangen, gebraiseerd in Pannepotbier, a dish whose name points to the kind of slow, careful handling that lets flavor build without force. There is hondshaai in het groen, direct in its freshness, and rode poon, another clear expression of the same preference for clean cooking. Taken together, they show a kitchen working with seasonality, texture, and restraint, where recognizable product is finished with a steady hand.

In Their Words “I like to work with products that are close to home.” That line describes a method as much as a preference. In Franky Vanderhaeghe’s kitchen, closeness is practical: it shapes selection, reinforces freshness, and keeps the work grounded in control and consistency rather than embellishment.

Recognition

Franky’s honors include Second Michelin star, first Michelin star, Ere-Ambassadeur Vlaams Culinair Erfgoed (2022), and Beste kok van België for Culinair Saisonnier (2001). Read together, they mark a career acknowledged for both quality and continuity, with the awards sitting alongside a kitchen culture built on discipline and a clear sense of place.

FAQ Where did Franky Vanderhaeghe train or study? Franky Vanderhaeghe trained at Jacques Debacker. What recognition has Franky Vanderhaeghe received? Second Michelin star (2005).