Passion, friendship and hospitality

How top chef Syrco Bakker and entrepreneur Albert Kreeft are conquering the Dutch gastronomy and hospitality world

Syrco Bakker is among the absolute best in Dutch gastronomy. Albert Kreeft has built a series of successful boutique hotels plus the thriving revenue management company IFHG with Excite Hotels. Looking back on their joint start at hotel school and their 20-year careers, they are proud of what they have achieved. But what really connects them is the shared vision of hospitality. In this article, both men take stock and look enthusiastically to the future.

Syrco Bakker and Albert Kreeft's friendship goes back to 2001, when they started "as young fellows" together at the hotel school in Tilburg. Albert: "In those four years, we often stood together in the kitchen. I was then more the glorified breakfast chef, shall I say, but Syrco soon had the drive to become a real chef. We found each other in our passion for hospitality, the most beautiful profession there is." Syrco adds: "That I was going to do something with cooking was pretty soon clear. During my internship at De Librije, I decided to definitely dive into the kitchen to fully master the profession in practice." Looking back, Albert says of that time: "I loved Syrco's motivation for cooking and I myself always felt that hospitality was part of my life but I personally had less affinity with star businesses. The large and dynamic world of exclusive hotel companies appealed more to me. We were able to combine our interests beautifully when we got the chance to go to London for six months. I worked in hotel operations, Syrco in the kitchen. I then noticed again how driven he was because he went to join Gordon Ramsay on weekends."

Personal attention

Needless to say, the men can be proud of wonderful careers. Syrco was even voted Chef of the Year 2022 by Gault&Millau. The shared vision of hospitality is still a unifying factor after all these years. "We are both driven by shaping an experience and personal attention," says Albert. "In my hotels, that means sensing why people come, being present when the guest asks for it and otherwise staying in the background and giving the feeling: if as a guest you need someone, someone is available. This is much more true at Syrco. Some guests save up to a year to be able to come to him. Then a more informal approach with more attention is more desirable than for a business visit. Whether it's a three-star hotel in Amsterdam or a two-star restaurant in Zeeland, that personal attention always prevails. With Syrco, you can see this in his craft, his passion for the products and the motivation of his team. I find that empowering to see. As if they are playing Champions League five nights a week, that's how driven they are to do the maximum to give the guest the perfect experience."

Conversely, Syrco has a lot of respect for the courage Albert has shown as an entrepreneur to realise his ambitions step by step: "He has a clear vision of how to shape a company and he always thinks ahead. I myself work a lot from my intuition. What I take from Albert into my own way of doing business is to also use your head and keep looking for ways to work more efficiently and effectively. It is important that we have such a bond that we can inspire each other from our different backgrounds."

Crown

Recently, Syrco concluded his successful years at two-star restaurant Pure C in Cadzand and Albert opened the Ocean House location in Scheveningen. What lies ahead for them? "After the summer, I will open a restaurant in Ubud in Indonesia," Syrco says enthusiastically. "My grandparents are from there so in that respect it's back to my roots. To give others the space too, I want to give several chefs the stage there. At the same time, we are going to renovate a monumental building in the Zeeland municipality of Sluis. In about two years, we will open a small-scale gourmet restaurant and a studio with a bakery and farm shop."

The men are already busy fantasising about the concept. "Wonderful to be passionately working on it together," says Albert. "Furthermore, we now have six wonderful locations with Excite Hotels. A number of new projects are underway and eventually we want to reach 10 hotels in about four years' time. Syrco and I sometimes think about at some point setting up a high-end prestige project together with about 40 rooms including fine-dining, and executing it together in detail. It would be the crowning glory of our friendship if we could achieve that one day."

Three 'experience tips' for start-up restaurant and hotel entrepreneurs

• Commit to 200% and do what you do with passion. If you go into it full of motivation, opportunities will come your way.
• Invest in yourself. After your education, do whatever it takes to get ahead. Work hard in reputable businesses to gain experience. Make sure you speak your languages. Those who invest in themselves learn to stand out from others.
• Build your network and get to know people in a different field of work. This is important to build on later. Gradually, you will find that your network becomes more and more important.