About Gijsbert

I am Gijsbert van de Kraats, Gijs to friends, born in 1992 and inseparable from the kitchen since the age of fourteen. What started as a part-time job quickly became a calling. In 2006 I took my first steps in the professional kitchen, and by 2015 I knew for certain: patisserie is my craft.

After years at Van der Valk and Figi, I found my place at Grand Hotel Karel V in Utrecht, where I worked for eight years as head pastry chef. There I learned what it means to perform at the highest level day in, day out. The precision, the creativity, the interplay of flavours and textures. It still drives me every single day.

In 2021 I made the leap to independence. From my atelier at Energieweg 3F in Meerkerk, I now work for a select group of clients: from couples dreaming of the perfect wedding cake, to top hotels that make no compromises on quality. And with the Vijf Heeren cookies, I bring a piece of the Vijfheerenlanden to the rest of the Netherlands.