It’s not everyday that you meet a passionate, down-to-earth chef who transformed his family’s humble seafood restaurant to 3-Michelin-star status, and then, shuts it down in 2013 at the height of its success.
Meet Sergio Herman, the 54-year-old driving force behind the Sergio Herman Group and one-Michelin-starred Le Pristine Antwerp. The culinary maestro was in town late August ahead of the October launch of Le Pristine Singapore, located at the newly refurbished Grand Hyatt Singapore. The launch also marks a full circle in his journey from Europe to Asia, as Singapore was the first Asian city he visited 15 years ago.
“I grew up in Sluis, the south-western coastal province of Zeeland, northwest of Antwerp, in a home where everything was about food,” he shares. “My parents ran Oud Sluis, a classic seafood restaurant. It was a great life growing up, living above our restaurant, constantly being surrounded by kitchen aromas and the world of food.” Herman worked with his parents in the kitchen, doing every dirty job including cleaning mussels manually like his grandfather used to. “Food is in my DNA and I think we have one of the best jobs in the world – creating something beautiful and making people happy”.
The young Herman attended culinary school in Belgium for two years, learning the basics of classic French cuisine, before training at the (now defunct) Michelin-starred De Swaen restaurant in Holland. “When you’re at culinary school, you think you know everything. But when you start working, you quickly realize that you actually know nothing,” he laughs.
(Related: For this 3 Michelin-starred chef, innovation always beats perfection)
Eight months into his training, Herman’s father called him back home to help. He had the basic seafood knowledge and loved working with different citruses and sour components, but was obsessed with innovation and doing things differently. “I’m in my element; in my own tunnel when I cook, cooking with my heart and soul. At Oud Sluis, I cooked with all my emotions growing up near the sea. At Le Pristine, it's a twist on classic Italian, inspired by both Zeeland and the Milanese fashion scene, but always with the seaside, the citruses, and fresh herbs in mind.”
“A restaurant is much more than just food. Everything I do reflects these 5 Pillars: Food, Fashion, Design, Art, and Music. At Le Pristine, those pillars run extremely deep, be it for a lobster salad or the perfect orecchiette with seafood,” he says. “I’ve always been interested in food, but I’ve also always had a fascination for crafts; the inspiration and creativity around art and design, thanks to my parents who had a lot of art and art books at home. For me, music is the highest form of art and I literally dream about food and music. The specially curated music we play around the main course just captures you. It’s a mystical experience,” he says passionately.
“There was no real plan when I came back to help my father at Oud Sluis in 1990. I was only 20 then and I just wanted to show him what I had learned and what I could do. There was no bigger picture, certainly no stars on the horizon – just ambition, creativity, pride, and a lot of passion. It was in my DNA, but I needed to create my signature,” he reveals.
And that’s what he did. “Passion, ambition, and talent can only come together when you have focus. But you have to keep it real and honest, and stick to your signature style and natural creativity. If the stars come, the stars come. It shouldn’t be the other way around,” he says.
In a surprising move, at the peak of his career, Herman shut down Oud Sluis for good. “I loved every minute of what I did, but when you get older, less is more. I closed three of my restaurants because I wanted to do better quality with less. Stay close to yourself, do it well, and see what happens,” he shares.
Regarding his foray into Southeast Asia, Herman says, “Singapore was my entrance to Asia and I’ve always had a good feeling about the city.” Fate called and Herman’s good friend, Andreas Stalder, Senior Vice President, F&B Operations & Product Development of Hyatt, Asia Pacific, suggested he open a restaurant here in Singapore, setting the wheels in motion for Le Pristine Singapore. The collaboration also marks Grand Hyatt Singapore’s first chef-driven F&B concept since opening in 1971. “Singapore is a very interesting city because it's so dynamic. Singapore’s dining scene is a significant gateway to the rest of Southeast Asia and opening Le Pristine here is a huge milestone.”
Herman unveiled his first restaurant in Asia in December 2023 with Le Pristine Tokyo at Hotel Toranomon Hills and is already part of the Michelin Guide Tokyo. “Japan is the holy grail of perfection and products, and despite the language barrier, it’s great to be in Tokyo and feel the Japanese DNA. With Singapore, the challenge is the heavy price setting because you need to fly in everything, but it's fantastic to be here.”
(Related: Hotel Toranomon Hills in Tokyo is all about business with pleasure)
But at the heart of it all, Herman is truly passionate about his roots and the products that come from Zeeland, making him a torchbearer for his hometown’s culinary heritage. He says, “I live half in Antwerp and half on the seaside in Zeeland, five minutes from the Belgian border. We have top quality seafood and shellfish, as well as amazing natural seasonal produce, such as seaweed and local wild herbs. I’m very excited to bring these new flavors to Singapore! Walking along the seaside in Zeeland always gave me the best ideas and the best solutions to my troubles. The continues to inspire me tremendously. I'm very proud of where I come from.”
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Le Pristine Signature Seafood Orecchiette (Photo by Chantal Arnts)
L to R: Sebastian Feldbacher, Sergio Herman, Carl Verrelst (Photo by Chantal Arnts)
Wine Tunnel at Le Pristine Singapore
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