Caroline Baerten is the co-owner of the plant-based fine dining restaurant humus x hortense in Brussels, Belgium. Her professional training is unique, as she is both a trained chef and a certified sommelière and mixologist. This has made her a pioneer of zero-waste, botanical mocktails served with the menu. She is also the voice of zero waste cooking and the eco conscious food scene in Belgium. As a former art historian, she also displays her artistic skills in the interior design and home-made ceramic tableware at restaurant humus x hortense.
Please introduce yourself to our members.
I’m Caroline Baerten and I followed a classic training as a chef at the renowned culinary institute Ter Duinen in Belgium.
Besides my chefs training I additionally became a WSET certified sommelière and mixologist.
This unique professional background has led to breaking the conventions of drink and food pairings and being a pioneer of cuisine-inspired cocktails and zero-waste, botanical mocktails served along the tasting menu.
As a former art historian, I have been able to display my artistic skills in the interior design and home-made ceramic tableware at restaurant humus x hortense.
Tell us about your current project.
I’m a co-owner of the plant-based fine dining restaurant humus x hortense.
The botanical tasting menu changes according to the year’s 24 micro seasons, entirely depending on the harvest of the wild farm Le Monde des Mille Couleurs.
In everything we offer I strive for the highest quality of ingredients and at the same time the lowest food waste thanks to ancient conservation techniques and zero-waste cocktails.
Already in 2008, together with my husband and chef, I introduced the concept of ‘botanical gastronomy’ in the world of fine dining.
After all these years of pioneering, humus x hortense was awarded with a Michelin star in 2023, a Michelin Green Star in 2021 and many more accolades for our sustainable efforts in gastronomy.
Tell us about the restaurant scene in Brussels.
In Brussels, there has been an eco conscious food scene for a couple of years.
A whole generation of entrepreneurs has set in motion a diverse range of sustainable-inspired eateries, ranging from street food to neo-bistros and fine dining restaurants.
This green movement is supported by a network of local, urban and organic producers within a radius of 100 km from Brussels and driven by guests who care about their impact on the environment and question the current food system.
Besides this, nearly every month an interesting natural wine bar pops up somewhere in our city.
What are your three favorite restaurants in Brussels and why?
My three favorite restaurants in Brussels:
Frank.Brussels is a popular coffee bar where everything is made from scratch with a farm-to-table breakfast menu.
Restaurant Entropy is a fine dining restaurant with a big heart. The restaurant aims to fight food waste in all its forms. Since 2019 it has saved more than 300 tons of food surplus and delivered more than 200k social meals.
Barge is one of the few haute cuisine restaurants in Brussels with also a green Michelin star. A place where one can taste the Belgian terroir in a relaxed atmosphere.
"Restaurant Entropy is a fine dining restaurant with a big heart. The restaurant aims to fight food waste in all its forms. Since 2019 it has saved more than 300 tons of food surplus and delivered more than 200k social meals.
What’s a new restaurant or hidden gem in Brussels that you think is doing great things?
A new kid in town is restaurant Aster. No meat here, but a beautiful tribute to the sea and anything plant-based. Everything is also cooked on open flames in a small open kitchen and smoking room visible from the tables. The food is brilliant, and the atmosphere is super chill. Aster is a true crush.
What’s your favorite kind of restaurant and why?
In 2015 I worked as an intern-chef in Japan to deepen my knowledge of Japanese cuisine and culinary aesthetics. Till now I still have a lot of affinity for the Japanese style of cooking and their rich culinary tradition.
For that reason I choose Dim Dining in Antwerp. In their omakase menu they harmoniously blend Japanese techniques with seasonal Belgian ingredients. At the counter top table you can see the chef at work and have an interesting conversation with the only Master of Sake sommelier in Belgium.
What are your three favorite food cities and your favorite restaurants in those cities?
1. Copenhagen: Ark they introduced high quality plant based fine dining in Copenhagen but also have a fungi farm and a couple of bistros. In every project their focus is on delicious seasonal, local and sustainable cooking.
2. Lima: Central and Kjolle. I love Peruvian cuisine and I love how Virgilio and Pia express the culinary biodiversity of their country in their own creative ways
3. Berlin: Oukan, plant based fine dining with a twist on Japanese inspired temple food and seasonal local produce. Coda Dessert Dining, a daring concept but it works well. With every dish the chefs finds the right balance between savory and sweet.
What is your favorite dish and where is your favorite restaurant to have it?
Asperges à la flamande, which is white locals asparagus served with a sauce of boiled eggs, butter and parsley. This asparagus is only in season for a limited time, traditionally from mid April till June 24. After that time the farmers don't harvest anymore to give the soil a rest for planting next year.
Where to eat the best "asperges à la flamande"?
Les Brigitinnes in Brussels, a very authentic Brussels restaurant with a beautiful interior in Art Nouveau style.
Who is an up-and-coming chef you are keeping an eye on?
Vicky Sevilla At only 25 years old this young female chef decided to open her first restaurant, Arrels, located in a renovated 16th century stable in Sagunto, Spain.
Who is a food expert whose restaurant recommendations you’d like to see?
Laura Centrella She is not only an excellent food writer, she also knows how to cook (with an Italian background on top)! We chefs believe that mastering this craft to a certain degree is primordial for food critics in order to evaluate in an objective way the technical skills of a chef and therefore also have an understanding of the complexity of the flavors in a dish. Her deep understanding of the food process makes Laura not being star struck by let's say dots of caviar on a plate but appreciative for the real craft of cooking.
