I am Renske Hoogstede – Diemers, creative, social and a foodie. I always used to enjoy helping in the kitchen. Helping baking pancakes, cutting vegetables, whipping cream and then, of course, licking the whisks. When I was able to choose a specialization in cooking in high school, I felt right at home. Behind the scenes (in the kitchen) creating dishes you can entice people with…what a dream!
After my chef training, I worked in numerous restaurants in Eindhoven and the surrounding area. After working in the kitchen of a Michelin-starred restaurant for 2 ½ years, I gained confidence that what I can do is actually good (if I can believe others ;-)). With this confidence, I started my own luxury catering company in 2011. More and more from behind the scenes and showing myself to guests. Which I also began to like more and more. But the catering profession is a tough one, and I began to enjoy my work less.
Right then, the incredibly cool building, the very first ETOS Drugstore, on Frederiklaan became vacant for a new entrepreneur. I didn’t hesitate for a moment. There I want to start a food store with lots of goodies! And I was fortunate that this place was granted to me. So I set to work to start this new business. And now I can say that I have the best job in the world. I can express my creativity in the changing weekly menus, my social heart comes into its own in the contact with the customers and that I am a gourmet; you can taste that in everything I make.
My favorite ingredient; chocolate!!! But since I had come up with the name Onion & Garlic, the two ingredients that usually go in the pan first, we had to experiment. At least, of course I didn’t have to but I thought it would be a lot of fun to look for a cool combination. It became our delicious chocolate brownie with black garlic. Hmmmmmmmmm!
