A peek into the kitchen of….
Axel
With his great passion for barbecuing, Axel is ready to teach you all the tips and tricks of plancha baking! Axel joined BonFeu when the BonBiza was just introduced, and he had the honour of leading the way as our first Partner-Chef! With his company Baxel catering, he lets guests lavishly enjoy a delicious barbecue or have a fun workshop with the BonBiza.
Axel van Lent
Baxel catering is the company of Axel van Lent. He is 23 years old and has had his own business for 2 years. About five years ago, Axel completed his training as an independent chef and then started working towards his own ambition.
“Cooking has actually always been my hobby and I was able to turn my hobby into my job.”
“Besides running Baxel catering, I also work 3 days a week as a chef at van der Valk in Tilburg. There, I work on the main dishes like fish and meat and am also responsible for lunch, for example. With Baxel catering, I take care of barbecues large and small, where I bring the BonBiza to the location. Besides sharing my passion for barbecuing, I also organise workshops where I take people into the world of plancha baking on the BonBiza by BonFeu. I love working with fire and I like to experiment to push my boundaries.”
How did you get to BonFeu?
“I actually became familiar with the company through an employee of BonFeu. At the time, I had just started working on Baxel catering for six months. Because of my love of barbecuing, it clicked really well with the people at BonFeu at the time and both parties became very enthusiastic. When I came into contact with BonFeu through that colleague of yours, I soon realised that I really liked it, because I saw a lot of challenges here.
When the collaboration with BonFeu came about, the BonBiza had not been around for very long. I was given the opportunity to get to work with the plancha baking but I could also, for example, help think about new accessories that would make it even more fun and easier to cook with. And because I was the first chef BonFeu had a collaboration with, we could try out a lot to find out what we wanted. This is now about 1.5 years ago, and in that time the collaboration with BonFeu has already yielded a lot on both sides!
“It is important to heat up the plancha properly the first time so that the whole ring is properly heated before the first time use.”
Plancha baking can be done all year round.
“What I like about plancha baking is firing it on wood, which is something you don’t come across very often anymore. If you start firing with the BonBiza, the temperatures are much higher than is often achieved in professional kitchens. The advantage of plancha baking on the BonBiza is that you can work with these high temperatures, giving your food a nice crispy coating. What is also very nice is that you can literally make anything from scratch, wherever you go. You are never dependent on gas, water, light or electricity, you can even give a dinner party in the dunes, so to speak.
Before I was introduced to BonFeu, I had no experience with plancha baking. I have never cooked on any other brand and, for that matter, I won’t do so because in my concept, the BonBiza fits perfectly. The BonBiza is easy to take apart and bring along to events. You can easily store it or simply leave it standing, because it is a real eye-catcher! Another special aspect of the BonBiza is that it is round. Because of its round shape, it connects people and you can actually see what is happening with your product. With a Big Green Egg or a kamado, for example, the lid shuts and then you wait. But with the BonBiza, you really see what happens to the meat, fish or vegetables and that makes it more exciting.
My great passion is barbecuing and I want to show people that barbecuing is possible all year round and that it’s not just for summer. You can use the BonBiza in many different ways. From a very simple barbecue to a barbecue as crazy as you can imagine. I once even used it for a 60-person barbecue!”
“The plancha plate is quite large, you can put a whole salmon on it, for example”
What I often do is put a complete salmon on top of the plancha. I then fill it with a number of things and cook it on the plancha. But also whole tenderloins weighing 2 kilos, which is something I really enjoy doing. What I also do sometimes is, if people want a party, I make small amuses and snacks on the barbecue. For desserts, I sometimes make something with fruit on the plancha or something like a skewer with pineapple on it, which I then smoke.
A BonBiza workshop, party catering or a grand barbecue.
Enjoying gourmet dishes straight from the BonBiza plancha, Axel makes it happen! Baxel catering can be hired to provide catering for a large or small party. “I already have a lot of experience with party catering, I make small snacks from the barbecue or provide complete buffets. I also regularly hit the road with the BonFeu food truck! I take it with me on location during an event or party, which brings a lot of fun with it.
Besides catering, I also rent out the BonBiza to people so they can get started and try it themselves. A real addition to what I offer is giving workshops, this gives me a lot of energy! I can then convey my passion for plancha baking and the BonBiza to people and let them taste the flavour sensations for themselves. At such a workshop, I usually start with an explanation of how to get started with the BonBiza and what is involved in terms of maintenance. Then we make some basic recipes and I bring along all kinds of products so that people can give their own input to the dish. I then help them make adjustments, give tips and let them enjoy what I am so enthusiastic about.”
BonBiza workshop
Party catering
Burgundian barbecue
Contact Axel
Would you like to see Axel’s barbecue passion and taste his taste sensations from the plancha? Then contact him soon for the possibilities.
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