Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Chef Roger van Damme is closing his Michelin-starred Antwerp restaurant Het Gebaar on June 27, 2025, after 15 years. He’s opening a culinary academy in Schoten to teach cooking.
As HLN and VRT News reported, Antwerp‘s famous chef, Roger van Damme, is closing his Michelin-starred restaurant, Het Gebaar, after 15 years. Located in the city’s botanical garden, the restaurant wasn’t just about desserts. Van Damme showed he could cook everything well and earned a Michelin star.
The last day for the restaurant will be June 27, 2025. Van Damme said it was hard to decide to close, but he started thinking about it a year and a half ago. He added that he had a great time in a beautiful place with a fantastic team. It was a hard decision for Van Damme, which is why he waited to tell everyone.
Why is Chef Roger van Damme closing Het Gebaar after 15 years?
Officials mentioned that the last day will be June 27, 2025. But this isn’t the end for Van Damme; it’s the start of something new. While Het Gebaar closes, he’s opening a culinary academy in Schoten today, June 2, 2025. The academy will be in the old Zwan factory.
Van Damme will now teach and mentor new chefs. He wants to share his skills and help shape the future of cooking. Antwerp will miss Het Gebaar, but the academy will bring new ideas. Van Damme’s choice to close at the top shows his vision and dedication to great food.
“The culinary academy is unique in Belgium,”
Van Damme continues.
“I want to share my passion for cooking with everyone: from professionals to hobby chefs. We have also received quite a few requests for team building. You can see me on TV at Njam!, but learning something in real life is something else.’”
Chef Roger van Damme’s new culinary academy in Schoten will offer a variety of cooking workshops. Most of these will be one-day events, but there’s a plan to have longer courses later on. The workshops will cover a wide range of skills, from simple baking lessons, like how to make a perfect apple pie, to more advanced courses such as mastering sourdough bread.
The cost to attend these workshops will start at around 165 euros. Van Damme also plans to invite well-known chefs and pastry chefs from other countries to visit and teach. His goal is for students to learn more than just recipes. He wants them to understand the true essence of cooking, emphasising precision, passion, and what he describes as
“poetry on the plate.”
“Roger van Damme is not going away,”
laughs the star chef.
“I will continue to do the high tea at the Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp hotel, I have a food truck with Atelier Van Damme, there will be a new book … There are a lot of fun things coming up.”
Het Gebaar began 31 years ago, in 1994, as a tearoom in Schuttershofstraat. Van Damme turned an old garage into a coffee and tea spot. People could enjoy coffee and cake, which grew into a larger lunch menu. The lunch became fancier, and in 2004, Het Gebaar moved to a historic building.
Officials mentioned that things quickly took off: Het Gebaar won awards, and Van Damme became “Chef of the year” in 2010. He also became a pastry world champion, had his cooking show, and got a Michelin star in 2010. Van Damme said getting a star was the top achievement for him, especially since Het Gebaar was only open in the afternoons.
