A peek into the kitchen of….

Damiën van Helvoirt

Damiën van Helvoirt is a passionate chef with a love for cooking on an open fire. His company Firebowl Cooking offers a unique dining experience for anyone looking for an unforgettable culinary adventure. With a smile on his face and a smooth chat, Damiën is a master at creating a cosy atmosphere where his guests feel right at home.

Damiën van Helvoirt

Damiën van Helvoirt has already earned his stripes in the culinary world. After graduating as a chef, he has continued to develop and refine his cooking skills in various segments. He constantly strives to keep developing himself within his field, because he believes that you never stop learning in the kitchen. He therefore does this by regularly experimenting with flavours and testing it out extensively on friends and family.

“The pig on the spit is the shining centrepiece, but the pinsas, salmon sides, grilled vegetables and bavette on the plancha are also enjoyed.”

Damiën is a private chef who comes to your home for large parties as well as smaller ones. With his fire bowls, he serves a whole buffet of different dishes but he can also be approached for an intimate private dinner with 4-5-6 or 7 courses, which are seasonal. You don’t have to think about anything as he brings everything himself: Table decoration, crockery, cooking utensils, really everything! So it’s a real restaurant experience in your own home.

“The main item is always a pig on a spit from which I make tasty soft shell tacos. This is deliciously accompanied by salmon sides from Finnish smoking boards, pinsa with a cream of pumpkin cooked in the fire, vega chilli from the Dutch oven, bavette cavemen-style and more preparations. You could therefore consider fire cooking to be my speciality.”

How did you get to BonFeu?

“BonFeu came my way in a surprisingly unassuming way. After an Instagram post about firebowl cooking, the owner of BonFeu, Luc, started following me. A post followed in which we got to know each other and talked about a possible collaboration. I became intrigued and was introduced to their products. What appealed to me was the robust style without too much fuss. Like my own logo, workbench and crockery for private dinners, I like a rugged look. BonFeu’s planchas and fire bowls fit this mood seamlessly.”

 

Bart van de Wal met de BonBiza

“My tip is to create a colder zone on the plate where the meat can rest quietly and cook more slowly. This provides extra tenderness to the meat.”

The plancha is much fun!

“I had minimal experience baking on a plancha. As mentioned, I cook on an open fire and so I did this with a fire bridge, an electric spit, smoking boards and a grill. The planchas added a new dimension to it and allowed me to make and prepare other products and dishes. Of course, as a chef in restaurants, I did have experience with griddles. This is somewhat similar.

What makes plancha baking so much fun is the conviviality. With a barbecue, I always feel that one person is responsible for the food, while others passively wait for the meat to be ready. With a plancha, everyone stands around the fire preparing their own food. It can be compared a bit like gourmetting for adults, everyone is busy with their own piece of food. Also, zoning and keeping the wood fire lit brings a certain romance. Plus the produce that comes off it is just hugely delicious.”

“I would recommend the BonFeu fire bowl or garden fireplace for its ambience and cosiness. It gives a wonderfully soothing feeling to watch a crackling fire. The options it offers for cosily preparing food around it, together, are also great. You can roast nice and simple marshmallows or turn it all up a notch and throw a delicious tomahawk steak on it and accompany it with a chimichurri carving while your meat is roasting. Togetherness, conviviality and enjoying the atmosphere and delicious food together.”

“Treat fire with respect, don’t pull any funny tricks, an accident is in a small corner.”

Top 3 plancha/fire bowl dishes

These 3 culinary creations on the plancha and fire bowl combine fresh ingredients, flavorful spices and the magic of the fire for an unforgettable taste experience.

Dish 1:

A favourite is the crab cakes with a spicy touch. Crunchy and full of flavour, filled with crab, red peppers, shallot and cilantro. Served with a roasted salsa of mango, red onion, bell pepper and a refreshing lime-yogurt dressing.

Dish 2:

Another delicacy on the plancha is brioche French toast. Soaked with a mixture of egg, cream and vanilla, baked until golden brown and fluffy. Served with lavender hangop, fresh fruit, a crunchy raspberry and a scoop of lemon ice cream.

Dish 3:

And while not directly from the plancha, but rather from the firebowl, my pickled pig on the spit is not to be missed. Tender meat in a soft tortilla with sweet potato, corn, sweet and sour red onion and bell pepper. An irresistible dish that guests want to taste again and again.

Would you like a private dining experience?

“About 6 to 7 hours beforehand, I am present on location and start the fire. For a private dinner (i.e. without fire bowls), I arrive an hour before the start. Over the fire, I then immediately hang the pig on the spit and put the salmon sides next to the fire to cook slowly. When guests come in, they immediately see a beautiful piglet rotating over the fire and see how beautifully crispy and browned it is. The flavours and dishes I put down are always of high quality and I also prepare them with love and passion. People’s enthusiasm when they eat a soft shell taco with the pork is always very infectious and fills me with pride and adrenaline for the next job. I have actually been able to turn my hobby and passion into my profession.”

 “At Firebowl Cooking, it’s not just about the delicious food, but also the experience.”

Private dining

Using the BonFeu Plancha for cooking

Private dining (with fire bowl)

Bart van de Wal private dining

Get in touch with Damiën

Have you become enthusiastic and do you want to experience Damiën’s exclusive flavours from the Firebowl in a luxurious setting? Then contact Damiën and discuss the possibilities.

Email

info@firebowl.nl

Telephone

+31 6 42946043

Instagram

@firebowlcooking

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