Restaurant De Librije will retain its three Michelin stars, even after the passing of chef and co-owner Jonnie Boer. The announcement was made at the BBB hospitality trade fair in Maastricht.
Thérèse Boer, her children Jimmie and Isabelle, and chef Nelson Tanate receive the highest award for a restaurant.
The Zwolle restaurant has had three starssince 2004 and has been the only catering establishment in the Netherlands to bear this highest distinction for many years.
Jonnie Boer will receive the Mentorship Award posthumously. Thérèse accepted the award on his behalf. With a lump in her throat, she thanked the audience and Michelin: "We truly feel he's with us. We're going to continue this for him. This man truly deserves this, and I'm sure he hears this applause."
Boer died unexpectedly last April of a pulmonary embolism. He and his wife Thérèse took over De Librije in 1993.
