Willem Hiele

Chef at Restaurant Willem Hiele* (Oostende, Belgium)

Willem Hiele serves neo-Flemish cuisine that is deeply rooted in the local terroir.

Willem comes from a family of fishermen and his life has always been linked to the sea: as a surfer he has been to many coasts and now everything he does is linked to the sea.

In December 2021, Willem Hiele decided to close his successful restaurant - with all reservations made months in advance - to start a new chapter. He returned to Ostend and opened a completely new restaurant in the historic Keignaert polders in the summer of 2022.

Based on his training as a baker and pastry chef, Hiele has developed his own style into the terroir cuisine for which he is known today: complex and simple at the same time. Everything on the table is homemade, from the sourdough bread to the kombucha drink and soy sauce. Willem and his team have developed a library of flavours that evolves every day, through research into both ancient crafts and innovative methods. He sources from local farmers and fishermen who breed, fish, harvest and butcher according to his specific requirements.