BRANDING YET AGAIN
[EDIT: Eijsden, November 29] The concentration of gastronomic excellence in Limburg and South-Limburg in particular is remarkable. Michelin awards 12 Limburg restaurants its coveted starred ratings. Two restaurants in South-Limburg, Beluga in Maastricht and De Leuf in Ubachsberg get two stars. Maastricht, of course, has no fewer than five restaurants with Michelin stars, four of which are within walking distance of one-another. GaultMillau, Michelin and Lekker all give praise to De Leuf, Beluga, Toine Hermsen, Tout à Fait and Da Vinci, top restaurants in the South and, of course, Chateau Neercanne and Au Coin des Bons Enfants are Maastricht stalwarts. The Bib Gourmand also went to Maastricht’s Manjefiek and to Eetkamer De Bissjop in the same city. This gastronomic infrastructure, when linked to the MECC’s ambitions to make Maastricht a gastronomic capital, gives one pause for thought. The existence of the excellent hotel school, close relations with the Italian slow-food movement and an interesting juxtaposition of these facts with an article in Dagblad De Limburger, make the pause even longer. The article referred to, by Peter Kamps, brings together Camille Oostwegel, Peter Elverding and Jan Schrijen. Mr Oostwegel’s life and career form a template on which the new brand could be developed. DSM’s transformation in the direction of life-style, nutrition and wellness; and its need for a cutting edge on the marketing front, make one think that a union between DSM marketing and the worlds of wellness and gastronomy could be a marriage made in heaven. Jan Schrijen, who knows all the ‘ins and outs’ of the Limburg political scene, could officiate at the ceremony and the show would be on the road. The next step would be to get Meuse-Rhine involved with its wide range of local products and alternatives on the leisure scene. See the Petit Futé article below and check out the activities of Wolfgang Trees and Carmen Seeger on the German gastronomy side (Schlemmerregion-Aachen).
The results of restaurant assessments in Maastricht and South Limburg by Michelin, GaultMillau and the Dutch periodical Lekker are impressive. They follow hard on the heels of recent discussions on the content to be given to the Maastricht brand. They give force to the idea of making Maastricht and the region the culinary capital of North-West Europe.
SW