Restaurant Reverie in Veldhoven 

Two talented young chefs make their dream come true and make many a culinary heart beat faster 

Luca Carli (25) and Stuart Kepser (26) met on the hospitality entrepreneur management course. Luca left the course prematurely because he was too restless and preferred to go straight to work in the kitchen at Tribeca* in Heeze. Stuart got his diploma after which he started cooking at restaurant de Rozario* in Helmond. Luca soon followed him and so the two young friends had the opportunity to stand behind the stove together and further develop themselves under the guidance of chef Jermain de Rozario. 

 

Cooking in the best restaurant in the world 

Luca: "That was a great time but the big adventure attracted me, I wanted to cook in the best restaurant in the world. In Copenhagen at restaurant Geranium*** voted the best in the world I got every chance to further develop myself." 

Fortunately, the friendship between the two young chefs remained and so did the dream of starting their own restaurant one day. To find out exactly what they wanted, they roamed cities together and ate at many renowned restaurants. 

Stuart: "We have a very special bond usually when you spend days with someone you think now I want to be alone again, with Luca I don't have that, it's very relaxed even if nothing is said. We found it magical to eat in one of those starred restaurants, the first 20 minutes we hardly dared to talk. But soon we decided wonderful all but we are going to do it differently." 

Luca: "Stuart complements me very well and gives me peace of mind. I only have that peace when I'm cooking. In the kitchen I'm totally focused and super organised, everything has to be perfectly in place. But as soon as I come out of the kitchen I am a chaotic person again, now I have lost my phone again, for example." 

Amid their busy days, discovering new flavours and atmospheres, the idea of their own restaurant was taking shape. It had to be a restaurant where top-level dining could be enjoyed, but also a place of warmth, friendship, individuality and inspiration. Last year, Restaurant Reverie opened its doors. 

 

A star in our own way 

Luca: "Reverie is our living room; intimate, familiar and mysterious with a high culinary level. Of course we would like that star but in our own way. That stars are only awarded to 'stiff' restaurants is fortunately changing. It should really be about the quality of the food and not everything around it." 

The young team at the Reverie basically cooks French with Indian, Surinamese or Italian influences added. A world cuisine because they don't want to define themselves. Stuart and Luca have a strong desire to keep developing themselves and discover new flavours and cultures. 

They serve a six-course dinner inside of which two dishes are replaced every fortnight, so when someone comes again after six weeks, they have an entirely new menu. There is a cosy terrace where you can also eat á la carte and more accessible dishes such as street food and bites are also served. 

 

Family as inspiration 

Both were inspired by their families. Luca inherited the love of food from his Indian grandmother and the entrepreneurial spirit from his father. Stuart speaks confidently of his brother in this regard. "I hardly liked anything as a child, my love for food and cooking really emerged after my brother made me taste everything and I joined him in the kitchen." 

Chef Marco Pierre White is the chef who "touched" them both. "When you read his stories you fall in love with his cuisine." 

 

You have to be a sponge 

Reverie has a very young team as the oldest employee is only 26 years old. Luca: "we can also go out together but the next day I am Luca the chef again and one can deal with that and the other, unfortunately, cannot." 

"As a young chef, you have to be a sponge and soak up everything, be quiet and later filter for yourself what really suits you." 

Stuart: "We ourselves continue to create dishes even after working hours, which can be anything from making our own pasta to our own prepared sambal. We often order the products we like best and then the creation comes naturally. Personally, I love dashi from which we make our own Japanese broth with this we can flavour dishes very nicely." 

It is a dream of both men to travel around the world one more time, taste everything there is to taste and take in all cultures. Then to take this knowledge and experience back home and enrich themselves and their Restaurant Reverie even further with it...