Stepping into a kitchen highly regarded for its precision, technique and excellence towards cuisine, Koen Vanderstraten brings a wealth of French fine dining experience and an acute understanding of Chef Hergatt’s culinary philosophy to his post as Chef de Cuisine at the acclaimed Two Michelin-starred restaurant, SHO Shaun Hergatt.

As a young boy growing up in Belgium, Koen found himself playing with his mother’s pots and pans both in the kitchen and outside in the sandbox. His family saw his interest and encouraged his innate passion for the culinary arts. Knowing that cooking was what he was meant to be doing in life, he went to attend the Hotel School Spermalie in Bruges, Belgium. Upon receipt of a Bachelors degree In Hotel and Gastronomy, Koen would go onto work for four Michelin-rated restaurants during his professional life.

Under the tutelage of renowned Chef, Jean-Pierre Bruneau, Koen began his fine dining career in 2003 as a Kitchen Assistant at the much-touted Bruneau Restaurant in Brussels, Belgium. His next post saw him at Le Louis XV, Chef Alain Ducasse’s Michelin-rated property in Monaco, Monte Carlo. After further honing his culinary skills and perfecting his Classical French cooking techniques, Koen returned back to his hometown and accepted his first Chef de Cuisine position at Michelin-Starred, Hof ter Eycken in Ninove, Belgium.

In 2008, Koen’s culinary ambitions outgrew his native homeland and he went to New York where he worked as a Sous Chef for SHO and was part of the core team that opened the restaurant in June 2009. Yearning for more International experience under his belt, Koen accepted an Executive Sous Chef position at the Viceroy, Anguilla and was once again part of an opening team to launch the luxury hotel. By mid-2010, Koen joined Ratua, a Relais and Chateaux establishment as Chef de Cuisine where he focused on optimizing the back of house operations.

However, his passion for fine dining and his desire to work in a state-of-the-art kitchen renown for its attention to the finer details, exceptional ingredients and perfect execution steered him back to SHO in 2011. Working under the direction of Chef Hergatt, it is evident that their creative chemistry continues to thrive. Already familiar with the intensity that Chef Hergatt is known for at his eponymous Financial District restaurant; Koen works closely with the Chef in its evolution