Culinary

Restaurant La Chapelle by Seppe Nobels

“With full conviction, based on experience, an outspoken opinion within the gastronomic world and a great deal of enthusiasm” 

Seppe Nobels is the culinary brain and curator of La Chapelle. The well-known green Michelin star chef is a symbol of a kitchen that is as green as it is sustainable. Going to our restaurant is a true discovery, our menu is composed according to Seppe’s farm-to-fork principle: local, fresh and in collaboration with local farmers in order to strengthen the economic and social ties with the region and its people. On Fridays, Seppe Nobels cooks a weekly eight-course menu called Seppe’s Friday. One Saturday a month is reserved for a unique Grand Condruxi menu in which Seppe Nobels, in his own way, pays tribute to the rich history of the Condroz and its inhabitants. 

Seppe creates new dishes that are always in tune with the rhythm of nature and what the farmer in the field has to offer, with his typical signature. This, combined with his own new culinary discoveries and recent inspirations, make this menu a new exciting chapter.

There are also wild picking sessions on the estate: with yarrow, watercress and chickweed. The saffron and pepper will soon be coming from our own garden, and fish from the vicinity are also on the menu – in short, a cuisine with respect and attention to the local fauna and flora.

“It is no secret that food brings people together. Just preparing and enjoying it forges friendships and strengthens bonds. When we sit together at a table or around the campfire, listening to stories and enjoying the beautiful surroundings, the stars, the power of nature proves it’s stronger than us as individuals. It is that feeling that we want to bring and share”

As a child, Seppe Nobels (°1982) did what can be expected of a cook: he liked stirring in his mother’s pots. What’s more, he spent hours in his small city garden in Mechelen, where he grew his first tomatoes and radishes. No one could have guessed at the time that this was the seedbed for what would later become a leading and inspiring farm to plate story.

For Seppe, cooking is inextricably linked to the environment in which he lives and works. Every day offers a new challenge to join others in their search for the best products. They preferably come from the region or directly from his own garden. Seppe looks for other seasonal ingredients at local farmers. Respect for natural flavours and the better regional product define the vision of his kitchen. In recent years, Seppe has written three cookbooks in which his green signature is clearly perceptible. “Vegetables That Sparkle the Conversation” (‘Best vegetarian book in the world’ by Gourmand Cookbook Awards) and “Greens That Taste Like Friendship” and his latest bestseller “Een Kookboek”.

Seppe sees it as his mission to spread vegetable-inspired cuisine as widely and as widely as possible.

In 2015 Seppe Nobels his kitchen at Graanmarkt 13 was named the best vegetable restaurant in Flanders in the green Gault&Milau. In 2018, Graanmarkt 13 is listed as the highest-ranking restaurant in the Benelux in the Best Vegetables Restaurants of the World© list. This was againthe case again in 2019, when Seppe’s kitchen was added to the prestigious 50 Best list, which lists the 50 best restaurants on earth. Graanmarkt 13 was included in the list of 50 best discoveries – to watch. One year later, Seppe was elected Belgian Culinary Personality of the Year, and is also included in the Order of the Mastercooks of Belgium. And in early 2021, a new award followed: Seppe Nobels received a green Michelin star for his vegetable-inspired cuisine and sustainable culinary philosophy.

La Chapelle’s kitchen is open daily this summer from Wednesday to Saturday.

Friday’s with Seppe Nobels at La Chapelle
Dinner: €75 to €100 p.p.

Seppe Nobels “Grand Condruxi” Saturdays will be announced at www.chateaudelachapelle.be and www.seppenobels.be