Skip to content
Left arrow
FOUR Magazine logo
Search icon

François Geurds

Chefs
|
29 Mar 2019
|
3 min read

Chef-owner of Rotterdam’s 2 Michelin-starred FG Restaurant and 1 Michelin-starred FG Food Labs, François Geurds, blends culinary arts with the science of flavor to create dishes worthy of gastronic greatness.

Born in Brabant into a family of Aruban heritage, François Geurds was stirring pots for his mother, Ivy, before he could walk. It was clear from an early age that he had inherited his mother’s culinary genes, and still to this day, François Geurds’ mother remains his greatest source of inspiration.

As he grew up, his passion for cooking grew too, and while other boys his age were outside playing on the football pitch, François spent his free time helping out in local restaurants near his parents’ home in Brabant. Not long thereafter, François set off in search of the best culinary teachers in the world, a quest that took him as far as California. It was his dream to learn from the world’s culinary masters and then use these skills one day in his own restaurant – this much he knew even as an adolescent.

It was under Chef Cees Helder of Restaurant Parkheuvel that François came into his own and just as the young chef decided he was ready for a new adventure, that restaurant was honoured with the highest recognition in gastronomy: for the first time in history, a Dutch restaurant was awarded a third Michelin star.

A few years later, François Geurds was at the heart of an even bigger success when the Fat Duck in Bray was named the best restaurant in the world, as he was Heston Blumenthal’s right-hand man at that time.

It was in  February of 2009, that Geurds was finally able to open his own restaurant. The restaurant, initially named Ivy as an ode to his mother, and later renamed FG Restaurant, is located in Rotterdam’s Lloydkwartier. Here, Geurds experimented with bold inventions and mouth-watering combinations that soon garnered him with much attention in the culinary industry. Within nine months of its opening, his restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star, with the second following in 2013.

In the spring of 2014, Guerds expanded his culinary offering and opened the quirky FG Food Labs under the arches at Hofbogen in Rotterdam, the gateway to FG Restaurant. At FG Food Labs, it is all about experimentation, trial and error. The team at FG Food Labs continuously tries out new techniques and ingredients until they have created perfect dish to set on the table. It is this dedication to perfection that led them FG Food Labs to be awarded with a Michelin star within its first year of opening.

Guerds is the only Dutch gastronomic guru to helm his own flavour laboratory, and this is a true show of his philosophy that cooking is a science. In his words, “You can only achieve perfection if you know the chemical processes.”

Along with his recognition in The Michelin Guide for both of his restaurants, François was also awarded as a member of the Guild of Dutch Master Chefs, passing a test to prove his mastery with flying colours.

FOUR questions with François 

Describe your culinary philosophy:

The taste is all-important
Rich flavors
Ultimate, unusual combinations
To the deepest detail
Innovative

What is your greatest inspiration?

My mother, Ivy.

What FOUR things would you take to a desert island?

  • Chef’s knife
  • Swimsuit
  • Big Green Egg (world’s best BBQ)
  • My girlfriend with fishing rod

If you could take a plane ride to any restaurant in the world, just for one meal, where would you go?

Alinea in Chicago (USA), awarded with three stars from the Michelin guide.

Awards
  • 1 Michelin star for FG Restaurant | The Michelin Guide 2009-2012
  • 2 Michelin stars for FG Restaurant | The Michelin Guide 2013-2019
  • 1 Michelin star for FG Food Labs | The Michelin Guide 2014-2019
  • SVH Meesterkok (Guild of Dutch Master Chefs) 2015
  • Rotterdam Marketing Award 2017
  • FG Restaurant Awarded Best Restaurant in region Zuid-Holland in 2017 and 2018
  • Best of Award of Excellence | Wine Spectator 2018
FG Restaurant

Katshoek 37b
3032 AE Rotterdam
The Netherlands

+31 10 425 0520
info@fgrestaurant.nl
www.fgrestaurant.nl

FG Food Labs

Katshoek 41
3032 AE Rotterdam
The Netherlands

+31 10 425 0520
info@fgfoodlabs.nl
www.fgfoodlabs.nl

World’s best winner 2014     |     World’s best luxury lifestyle media brand 2022

About

|

Editions

|

Contact

|

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Four magazine

|

All Rights Reserved

About

|

Contact

|

Editions

|

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Four magazine

|

All Rights Reserved

four-magazine.com use cookies to deliver an optimised experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of all cookies used.
Cookie settingsaccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.

CookieDurationDescription
__cfduid1 monthThe cookie is used by cdn services like CloudFare to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information.
_abck1 yearThis cookie is used to detect and defend when a client attempt to replay a cookie.This cookie manages the interaction with online bots and takes the appropriate actions.
bm_sz4 hoursThis cookie is set by the provider Akamai Bot Manager. This cookie is used to manage the interaction with the online bots. It also helps in fraud preventions
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
ts3 yearsThis cookie is provided by the PayPal. It is used to support payment service in a website.
ts_c3 yearsThis cookie is provided by PayPal when a website is in association with PayPal payment function. This cookie is used to make safe payment through PayPal.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Functional

Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.

CookieDurationDescription
akavpau_ppsdsessionThis cookie is provided by Paypal. The cookie is used in context with transactions on the website.
nsidThis cookie is set by the provider PayPal. This cookie is used to enable the PayPal payment service in the website.
tsrce3 daysThis cookie is set by the provider PayPal. This cookie is used to enable the PayPal payment service in the website.
x-pp-ssessionThis cookie is set by the provider PayPal. This cookie is used to process payments from the site.

Performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

CookieDurationDescription
YSCsessionThis cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos.

Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form.

Advertisement

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.

CookieDurationDescription
_fbp3 monthsThis cookie is set by Facebook to deliver advertisement when they are on Facebook or a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising after visiting this website.
fr3 monthsThe cookie is set by Facebook to show relevant advertisments to the users and measure and improve the advertisements. The cookie also tracks the behavior of the user across the web on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
IDE1 year 24 daysUsed by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
test_cookie15 minutesThis cookie is set by doubleclick.net. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysThis cookie is set by Youtube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website.

Others

Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.

CookieDurationDescription
_gat_gtag_UA_120081375_11 minuteThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_83740222_11 minuteThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_mcid1 yearNo description
ak_bmsc2 hoursNo description
CONSENT16 years 9 months 2 days 6 hoursNo description
ec_store_chameleon_fontsessionThis cookie is provided by Ecwid and it is used to save the font utilised in the website's online store.
enforce_policy1 yearNo description
l7_az30 minutesNo description
LANG9 hoursNo description
x-cdnThis cookie is provided by Paypal and is used in context with shopping transactions on the website's store.