Cees Helder

During Palazzo’s first season in Rotterdam one of holland's best chefs Cees Helder will be responsible for the culinary part of the evening.

The career of Cees

At a very young age Cees discovered how much he liked the ‘horeca-life’. He worked with a lot of pleasure in various restaurants in a variety of  functions, from service to kitchen.

His greatest talent proved to be in the kitchen: there he made a fast and steep career.

As ‘chef-cuisinier’ he achieved a Michelin star in two different restaurants. Eventually he worked in various management functions in the Bilderberg hotel-group. Also here he felt himself like a fish in water; according to Cees horeca and management are inseparably linked to each other.

In 1986 he started in Rotterdam restaurant Parkheuvel, and under his direction this restaurant carried off as the first restaurant in the Netherlands three Michelin stars.

In 2006 he sold Parkheuvel, to obtain for a certain period a more relaxed life.

Cees Helder Academy

His departure from the front was only temporarily. Rather soon he was appointed as chairman of ‘les Patrons Cuisiniers’.  Cees is also closely connected with the ‘ Vereniging Les Amis Gastronomiques' (VLAG), an association that was founded last year and dedicates a lot of energy to retain the position of the artisanal restaurateur.

And he was asked in 2006 to support a new initiative: the Cees HelderAcademy.

This Academy is the first place in the Netherlands where training is given for the function of Gastronomic Entrepeneur.

Chef-cuisinier at Palazzo Rotterdam

Cees' culinary come back was bound to happen sooner or later. This became reality when Cees became the chef-cuisinier of Palazzo Rotterdam in its first year.

For Palazzo Cees has designed a fantastic four courses menu, that will be taken care of by him self and his kitchen staff.

Together with the spectacular show that takes three and a half hour, Cees’ culinary masterpieces  are the main ingredients of an unforgettable evening out.

Cees Helder on his come back

“During my ‘culinary respiratory pause’ I enjoyed myself very well. But I became myself aware that my fingers were itching more and more: I would like to become active in the kitchen again.

During the last years my colleagues Ron Blaauw and Herman den Blijker invited me several times at Palazzo Amsterdam. I considered it immediately a fantastic concept and I’m looking forward with enormous pleasure to contribute to a prominent place for Palazzo in Rotterdam.

I have to say that I am , as a Rotterdammer, quite proud that a prestigious project such as Palazzo has opted to start also in this beautiful city".