Tonny Berentsen

Coming Up

At De Kromme Dissel in Heelsum, the line from chef de partie to sous-chef to head chef is the story of Tonny Berentsen’s working life. From 1991 to 2000, that kitchen provided the training ground; in 2000, it became the post he has held since. The result is a career built less on relocation than on accumulation: years of learning one room’s standards, pace, and expectations, then taking responsibility for carrying them forward.

Where They Are Now

The chef role at De Kromme Dissel is where Tonny Berentsen has made his name, and it is a position defined by continuity. Having worked inside the operation for years before stepping up in 2000, he remains tied to the same address in Heelsum, where the kitchen’s discipline is grounded in patience, precision, and respect for product. His signature dish, draadjesvlees, fits that approach: direct, disciplined, and built around ingredient first.

In Their Words “That restaurant has had a Michelin star almost as long as I have been alive. It is an honor to contribute to that.” “I don't cook for the diner, I cook for the product.” Taken together, these lines show the frame of Berentsen’s work. One acknowledges the weight of cooking in a restaurant with a long-established star; the other states the method plainly, putting the product ahead of presentation, persuasion, or trend.

Honors

No personal awards are listed for Tonny Berentsen. The only recognition is tied to the restaurant itself, and Berentsen has said of it: “That restaurant has had a Michelin star almost as long as I have been alive. It is an honor to contribute to that.”