Sanne Poppen of restaurant The Millèn wins National Hennessy Hospitality Award 2025

Sanne Poppen of restaurant The Millèn in Rotterdam has been named winner of the National Hennessy Hospitality Award 2025. This honourable award for young hospitality talent was presented this year for the 24^e awarded once. Perry Heneweer of Merlet in Schoorl came second and the third prize went to Sophie Pauws of Maeve in Utrecht. The announcement took place on 3 November 2025 during the launch of restaurant guide Lekker500 edition 2026.

Sanne (25) was the best of ten candidates who competed for the award for the best young host or hostess in the Netherlands over the past six months after a rigorous pre-selection, theory and practical tests and a jury visit. The theory and practical tests were held at the ROC Mondriaan location in The Hague.

Impressive prize package

Sanne not only went home with the beautiful title, but also received the challenge trophy (a unique sculpture by artist Lou Thissen), a bottle of Hennessy Paradis worth €1,320 and a cash prize of no less than €2,500. Sanne also got to make a study visit to Hennessy's renowned Château de Bagnolet.

Presenter Winston Gerschtanowitz announced the winner of the Nationale Hennessy Gastvrijheidsprijs (NHGP) 2025, after which Sanne was presented with the prizes by Patrick van Zuiden, owner of Restaurant, Hotel & Spa Savarin and chairman of the committee of Nationale Hennessy Gastvrijheidsprijs. The presentation took place during the festive launch of Lekker500 edition 2026 in the Koetshuis on culinary estate Parc Broekhuizen in Leersum, where the absolute top of Dutch gastronomy was present.   

Additional prices

Two other prizes were also given away during the event: 

• The prize for the best Hennessy Cognac cocktail, a WSET Spirits course offered by Edwines School, went to Perry Heneweer.
• The prize for the best theory score, presented by Ricardo Eshuis, chairman of the Foundation for Professionalism in the Hospitality Industry (SVH), went to Sanne van den Brink.

Top-10 NHGP 2025

1. Sanne Poppen - The Millèn, Rotterdam
2. Perry Heneweer - Merlet, Schoorl
3. Sophie Pauws - Maeve, Utrecht
4. Sanne van den Brink - Heaven & Earth, Utrecht
5. Michelle Leone - Éclusier, Bloemendaal
6. Floris Aaldering - Showw, Amsterdam
7. Ynze Peters - Amí Bistro, Breda
8. Benthe Smithuis - Rosemary, Joure
9. Kosin Trieu - Chi-Ling, IJmuiden
10. Jens Reniers - Bij Jef, Den Hoorn (Texel)

Prominent expert jury 

The participants were judged by a jury with prominent figures from Dutch gastronomy, including general director of Moët Hennessy Netherlands Jean Baptiste Billiet, as well as Bob Bron; the chairman of Stichting Samenwerking Gastronomische 4 and of Alliance Gastronomique. Also on the jury are the nestor of Dutch gastronomy Cees Helder, and Patrick van Zuiden, owner of Restaurant, Hotel & Spa Savarin and chairman of the committee of National Hennessy Hospitality Award and Nadine Mögling, SVH Meestergastvrouw of restaurant Bij Jef. The NHGP jury chairman is Edwines School owner Edwin Raben.

Also on the jury are the presidents of the G4: Bjorn Massop on behalf of JRE- Jeunes Restaurateurs, Frank Visser for Les Patrons Cuisiniers and Michael Hu on behalf of
the Fine Eastern Restaurants. In addition, last edition's winner Pieter-Jan Kruithof (2024), former winners Marèl Disselhorst (2023), Teide Schepers (2022), Max Oude Veldhuis (2021) and Anne Marie Nijhoff (2020) are on the jury, as well as Lekker500 editor-in-chief Annelies Pijper and hospitality manager and former chairman JRE Lex Gasseling.