Remco Kuijpers

Coming Up

The Dutch brigade system shaped Remco Kuijpers early: apprenticeship at De Swaen in Oisterwijk, then chef roles at Da Vinci and Vermeer. Each move added a different layer of discipline, but the throughline stayed the same — precision on the line, control under service, and a steady approach to refinement rather than flash. At Fitzgerald, where he served as chef-kok from 2015–2021, that progression became harder to miss. Over six years, the work settled into a clear professional identity, built service by service. The kitchen demanded consistency and pace, and Kuijpers met it by tightening his own standards rather than chasing shortcuts. By 2022, he was operating at the upper end of the Dutch dining field, with roles that placed him inside kitchens where execution matters as much as ambition. Executive Chef at LIZZ in Gouda (at Weeshuis Gouda), Kuijpers’s career reads as accumulation: each address extending the same practice, each title marking a deeper hold on the craft.

Where They Are Now

As Executive Chef at LIZZ in Gouda (at Weeshuis Gouda), Remco Kuijpers is working in a setting that asks for control, consistency, and clear standards across the board. His own words about LIZZ* and WSHS point to a working culture built on effort rather than noise: “We at LIZZ* and WSHS are very down to earth and working very hard to create something beautiful.” The aim he sets for the hotel is equally direct. “Our ambition is to make the hotel, including the restaurant, an institution.” In practice, that means thinking beyond service to permanence — building a place whose identity holds over time, not just through one strong menu or one good season.

In Their Words “We at LIZZ* and WSHS are very down to earth and working very hard to create something beautiful.” “Our ambition is to make the hotel, including the restaurant, an institution.”