Cronato. At the head of the Red Heron, Martin and Jolanda delight guests and residents. If there is a perfectly successful integration, it is that between Martin and Jolanda Van Wijngaarden, a Dutch couple who arrived in Cronat on 31 December 2020. Owners of the gastronomic lodge Le Héron pourpre, they are also active members of the festival committee.
We sometimes say: birds of a feather flock together. This proverb fits them so well! Same age within a year, 52 for him, 51 for her, both tall (over 1.85), same smile, shown in every circumstance, same accent, in a now well-tamed French. Originally from the Netherlands, they come from the shores of the North Sea, from The Hague, more precisely from the district of Scheveningen, where, they unanimously say, “the most beautiful sandy beach in the country” is located.
The 516 inhabitants of the village were quick to appreciate and “adopt” the couple, who bought the former home of the mayor, Jean Michaud, on rue des Écoles. Everyone calls them Martin and Jolanda, easier to say than Mr. and Mrs. Van Wijngaarden.
After five years of studying in the hotel and restaurant industry, Martin learned his skills in several restaurants in The Hague, before leaving to work in Switzerland for four years, at the Davos Casino. A rich experience.
“The welcome was wonderful from the start”
A friend then suggested he return to The Hague to work as a cook at the Holland Casino Scheveningen. It was there, in 1997, that he met Jolanda, then an administrative employee of the plant. “It seemed obvious. We knew each other, we just loved each other”, they escape happily.
In 2004, “to change their lives”, they decided to settle in France. “We have always loved the country, for its culture, its good products, its good wine, its cheeses, its aperitifs. » It is between Issoire and Brioude (Puy-de-Dôme) that there will be hoteliers. In 2006 he returned to the country, for thirteen years, as manager of a retirement home.
After Covid, the death of Martin’s parents and the sale of the family home, the couple settled permanently in Cronat. She doesn’t regret her choice. “We found this beautiful house in which we carried out six months of work to create two bedrooms, tables for guests and tidy up the outside. From the beginning the reception was excellent and the success was equally excellent. »
At their place, 90% of customers are cycle tourists, who come from all over the world. The gourmet cuisine, homemade in front of the guests, seduces, with a new menu every time, which reserves beautiful culinary surprises.
Active and volunteer members of the festival committee, the couple delights the entire team and local traders.
Practical. The Purple Heron, 119, rue des Écoles. As. 06.95.81.07.23.
2024-01-03 04:00:00
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