Steven Naessens

The Path

Formal kitchen training at Ter Duinen Culinary School gave Steven Naessens an early frame before he entered Several starred restaurants in Germany. That passage matters in the trade sense: starred service teaches timing, station discipline, and the habit of exact execution under pressure. Work as cook at Hof Van Cleve in Kruisthoum, Belgium, continued that formation inside a serious kitchen structure. The Maison Jeunet chapter began in 2009 in Arbois, France, where Naessens became kitchen collaborator / second-in-command to Jean-Paul Jeunet. The position placed him inside a house defined by region, reputation, and dishes with an established place in its dining room. In that setting, technique was tied to continuity: recipes, products, and service habits carried the Jeunet identity through daily work. The current title, chef of Maison Jeunet in Port-Lesney, France, has been held by Steven Naessens since 2021. The progression is direct rather than decorative: Ter Duinen Culinary School, Several starred restaurants in Germany, Hof Van Cleve in Kruisthoum, Belgium, then the long Maison Jeunet formation in Arbois before the Port-Lesney role.

The Work Today

The work at Maison Jeunet in Port-Lesney, France, since 2021 is a continuity practice as much as a chef’s post. With Naessens in the role, the Jeunet name moved through a new address while retaining contact with dishes tied to its Arbois reputation. For an artisan, that is a specific task: carry a house language without treating it as static. Two named classics hold that line. Poularde de Bresse au vin jaune et morilles remains on the menu and is cited among the recipes that made the Jeunet reputation; lièvre façon royale et truffe de Bourgogne carries the same house weight. These are not generic regional references inside this profile. They are named preparations attached to Maison Jeunet’s identity, using the grammar of French gastronomy—vin jaune, morilles, lièvre façon royale, truffe de Bourgogne—as a house record rather than as ornament. Service format also belongs to the craft of the place. Cocottes, dishes, and desserts were shared at the table rather than served as plated courses. That changes the dining rhythm: the table becomes the working surface of hospitality, where abundance is shown, passed, and received collectively. The generosity is in the service structure as much as in the cooking. The present discipline is custodial but active. As chef of Maison Jeunet in Port-Lesney, France, since 2021, Naessens works with dishes that bind the name to Arbois while executing from the current address. The requirement is fidelity without freezing the work: preserve the recognizable tradition and make it function service after service.

In Their Words “A key training to work with the greatest cook later!”

Acclaim

Steven Naessens has received Michelin Guide — two stars for Maison Jeunet (2023). Recognition here is attached to the house as much as the individual post. Steven's honors include Two Michelin stars retained by Maison Jeunet.