The history of
Inter Scaldes
The story of a culinary heritage
Both the restaurant and the building of Inter Scaldes have a long history. What is the story behind the premises and how did the restaurant get the reputation it has today?
'Huize Inter Scaldes', Latin for between the Scheldt rivers, is located to the west of the village of Kruiningen in Zeeland. It dates from 1927 and was built at the time by W.J.L. de Groof, a veterinary surgeon from Kruiningen. De Groof used it as his residence but later moved to Vlissingen. In 1954, he sold the mansion to the Domain for the Royal Military Police.The Royal Military Police used the villa until the late 1960s. Kees and Maartje Boudeling took over the property, starting the first culinary chapter.
Maartje & Kees Boudeling
Maartje Boudeling-Hoogstrate attended hairdressing school and opened a hair salon with her two sisters in the village of Yerseke in Zeeland. In 1962, she married Kees Boudeling and traded the salon for the hotel-restaurant 'De Uitkijk' in Kruiningen, owned by her in-laws. Maartje Boudeling grew up with her mother's cooking skills, which she successfully applied and refined over the years by regularly doing internships in starred restaurants in France.
After the death of Kees's father, the couple took over the family restaurant. And successfully, as the restaurant became too small. Therefore, they bought the premises on Zandweg in Kruiningen in 1968. The former house was converted into a restaurant with a spacious kitchen, bar, wine cellar and meeting room. On 3 July in the same year, café-restaurant Inter Scaldes was opened, named after the house.
Fresh, fresher, freshest
The restaurant's focus was on fish dishes and matching wines. For the Boudeling couple, freshness of produce was the top priority and importing ingredients was avoided as much as possible. All fish, shellfish and most of the fruit and vegetables were sourced locally. That meant ordering and delivery was sometimes even done several times a day.
Michelinstars
Due to Kees and Maartje Boudeling, Inter Scaldes gained recognition in the culinary world. The restaurant became a destination for gourmets from all over the world. In 1978, exactly ten years after its opening, the restaurant received its first Michelin star and in 1984 its second star. In 2001, still holding 2 Michelin stars, the couple handed over the restaurant to Jannis and Claudia Brevet.
Jannis & Claudia Brevet
Jannis Brevet previously gained experience in several starred establishments in Germany. He met Claudia at work at the Greenpark Hotel in Leidschendam, and years later opened their own restaurant Helianthushof in Uden. In 1998, they received their first Michelin star. In 2001, they sold the restaurant and became the new owners of Inter Scaldes. Jannis returned to his native Zeeland. Freshness and quality of products is also most important to Jannis. The chef never had anything delivered, but drove to Yerseke every morning himself for fresh fish and tasted every product.
Highs and lows
The restaurant managed to retain its two Michelin stars under the leadership of the new couple. For the duo themselves, it however was the first time they had received two Michelin stars. On 10 September 2003, a fire broke out in the building, forcing the restaurant to close. The couple managed to overcome this terrible event and reopened the restaurant in just nine months. Luckily from there a period full of highlights followed. Jannis Brevet was awarded Chef of the Year by Gault & Millau in 2006. In 2012, he was honored as an SVH Master Chef, and in 2014, the restaurant received a rating of 19.5/20 from Gault & Millau.
The highlight came in 2018, when the restaurant was awarded a third Michelin star. At that time, this made Inter Scaldes the fifth restaurant in Dutch history to receive the prestigious award, bringing the Inter Scaldes name to the top of Dutch gastronomy thanks to Claudia and Jannis. In the same year, Claudia was named Hostess of the Year.
Jeroen & Sanne Achtien
In January 2023, it was announced that Jeroen and Sanne Achtien would take over Inter Scaldes in November of the same year. Jeroen gained his experience in renowned restaurants such as the three-Michelin-starred restaurant De Librije. Here he met his wife Sanne, with whom he left for Switzerland together and started as executive chef for restaurant Sens in Vitznau. Under his leadership, the restaurant managed to achieve two Michelin stars and an 18/20 score from Gault & Millau.
Although the restaurant is entering a new era under Jeroen Achtien's leadership, the history of Inter Scaldes will live on. The classic villa, the use of Zeeland products and the pursuit of gastronomic perfection will also remain under Jeroen and Sanne, just as it has for many decades.
Zandweg 2 • 4416 NA Kruiningen
+31 113 381 753
info@interscaldes.nl
