Peter Goossens to sell top Flemish restaurant Hof van Cleve

Flemish chef Peter Goossens plans on selling his three-Michelin-star restaurant Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem at the end of 2023. "We have been thinking about giving our professional life a new direction for several years now," Goossens said in an announcement on Monday. Current head chef Floris Van Der Veken will take over the business with the same name and staff.

Peter Goossens opened Hof van Cleve in 1986 and has since garnered widespread international acclaim. In 2004, the restaurant received a score of 19.5 out of 20 from Gault&Millau, and a year later it attained the top score of three stars in the Michelin Guide. Since then, the restaurant has been able to stick to those scores and is regularly listed as one of the top 50 best restaurants in the world.

This summer, Goossens will take charge of the revamped restaurant at the luxury hotel La Réserve in Knokke, owned by Flemish entrepreneurs Marc Coucke and Bart Versluys. "Peter will take full responsibility, coordination as well as recipe management of the new restaurant at La Réserve," an announcement from Coucke's investment company read at the time.

^{#FlandersNewsService | Peter Goossens in 2004, when he received 19,5 out of 20 in the Gault&Millau restaurant guide. BELGA PHOTO YVES BOUCAU}