Get to know
Tante Koosje

Restaurant Tante Koosje owes its name to Loenen resident Koosje Edema, who lived in the building with her parents. After their passing she lived there alone until her death in 1958: a reclusive but distinctive village figure. When the municipality wanted to demolish her house, that was prevented and the houses were rebuilt under Loenen architect Mr Leicher.

About forty years ago a restaurant opened in the building. Its owners were so charmed by the history of the house and by Koosje herself that it was named after her. In its first years it was a real bistro, with checked tea towels as placemats, fish stew, onion soup and casseroles. Today Tante Koosje holds a Michelin star. What has stayed from the bistro is its simplicity: authentic, classic dishes made from honest ingredients, at a price that feels fair.

Bas started at Tante Koosje in 2016, as an apprentice in the kitchen. This is where he discovered his love of cooking and learned the trade from the ground up. Alongside his work he followed the Sterklas, the star-level cookery course at the ROC, and completed it with the title SVH Gezel Meesterkok.

After three years he wanted to see more. He cooked at Restaurant MOS and Restaurant Bougainville in Amsterdam, where he learned new techniques, found fresh inspiration and grew as a cook.

In 2023 he came back to the place where it all began for him. As sous-chef he now works alongside chef Roland Veldhuijzen and coaches the apprentices in the kitchen, just as he was once coached here himself, passing on what he learned here and elsewhere.

Cooking is what Bas loves most, but the atmosphere in the kitchen matters just as much to him: making beautiful dishes with a close-knit team, learning from each other and enjoying the work. He is as ambitious as the day he started, and dreams of one day becoming a head chef himself.

Ilkay was born on 9 January 1980 in Nederhorst den Berg. She started in 2001 at sister restaurant De Proeverij in Loenen aan de Vecht and moved to Tante Koosje in 2005, which means she has been here a year longer than the chef and the maître d'.

Over the years Tante Koosje has become much more than a workplace to Ilkay. She calls the restaurant her second home, works there with real pleasure and dedication, and has become one of the familiar faces of the house.

Alongside her hospitality, Ilkay has a wide knowledge of wine and cheese. She knows better than anyone which wine suits a dish and which cheese rounds off a meal, and she is happy to share that knowledge with guests and colleagues.

With her warmth, her expertise and her love for the restaurant, Ilkay has become an indispensable part of Tante Koosje.