The man with the plan
From De Lekkerbek to d.ish
Dirk may be an industrial engineer by training, but cooking has been in his blood from the start.
“Blood will out.”
— Dirk Luijts, founder of d.ish
Cooking runs in the family: in the 1970s and 80s his grandfather ran his own butcher shop and delicatessen, “De Lekkerbek” in Berchem. Dirk first took a different road — after five years as an industrial engineer he threw himself into the culinary world: first importing wines from around the globe, and training as a chef at PIVA Antwerp along the way.
After ten years in wine he founded d.ish and sharpened his style as a freelance chef for names such as Yves Mattagne and Roger Souvereyns. Today d.ish serves contemporary French-Belgian cuisine with Asian influences, from the cooking atelier in Emblem near Antwerp.
Corporate events and private celebrations for up to five hundred guests, with most of the work between fifty and two hundred. A tasting menu for ten at the table works just as well: the same kitchen, the same attention on every plate.
De Lekkerbek, Berchem
1970s-80sHis grandfather's butcher shop and delicatessen — where the family's culinary story begins.
Engineer turns wine expert
5 years engineering · 10 years wine importingImporting wines from around the world while training as a chef at PIVA Antwerp.
The starred years
Freelance chefThree years cooking for Yves Mattagne, Roger Souvereyns and other major names.
d.ish
Today · Emblem (Antwerp)His own culinary signature — selected by Feeling Magazine among Belgium's best caterers.