i. Biography
Before L.E.S.S. In Bruges became the address most closely tied to Ruige Vermeire, the groundwork was laid at Spermalie. That school is the first fixed point in the line: where technique is taught, discipline becomes routine, and a chef’s habits start to take shape. From there, Vermeire’s path runs through the Hertog Jan Group and then ten years as chef of LESS, a sequence that reads as training, consolidation, and finally the decision to move on.
Where It Started Spermalie sits at the base of the culinary line. It is the place where the work begins to look like a method rather than a collection of tasks, and where a kitchen vocabulary can start to form before a chef is known publicly by any dining room or address. Before Bruges and before the 2025 dishes, there is that school and the discipline it represents. The next stage is named plainly in Vermeire’s own words: "After a wonderful career for the Hertog Jan Group and ten years as chef of LESS, I am going my own way." The sentence marks the span of a professional chapter in simple terms: a group, a decade, and a departure.
Who Shaped Them Spermalie, the Hertog Jan Group, and L.E.S.S. In Bruges form the outline of the line. One names the study, one the formative professional house, and one the post through which many diners came to know the cooking. Read together, they map a familiar trade progression: learn, work, refine, then step out. That handover was framed without theatrics. "I hand over the baton to Jens. He will ensure the same vibe and dynamism. LESS will remain as it is." The image is practical: a restaurant passed forward without being treated as closed, with continuity carried by the next hands. The closing thanks widened the frame once more: "I want to thank everyone who was part of this story." For a career built from school, group, venue, and team, the line functions as acknowledgment of the people around the work rather than as a final flourish.
The Work Today
At L.E.S.S. In Bruges, the 2025 dishes show a cook working within a clear register. Kersen, roomkaasijs en amaretti is presented as a summer dessert with a spicy edge, keeping sweetness under some tension. Gegrilde bavette met groene salsa en hollandaise sets grilled beef beside green salsa and hollandaise, letting contrast do the work. Tomaat-garnaal in een L.E.S.S.-versie keeps a Belgian reference intact while marking it through the venue’s own interpretation.
Signature
Ruige's signature dishes include tomaat-garnaal in een L.E.S.S.-versie.
In Their Words “After a wonderful career for the Hertog Jan Group and ten years as chef of LESS, I am going my own way.” “I want to thank everyone who was part of this story.”
Recognition
Ruige Vermeire has received Michelin Guide Belgium & Luxembourg: one Michelin star (2019).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Ruige
Where did Ruige Vermeire study or apprentice?
Ruige Vermeire studied at Spermalie.
What tradition or house shaped Ruige Vermeire?
His own words connect his path to the Hertog Jan Group and to ten years as chef of LESS.
