Martijn Kajuiter is a young friendly Dutchman who has made Ireland his home, and his reputation as a sublime chef continues to grow. His passion for food comes from his childhood, and he has embraced all that the fertile soil of south Waterford can provide for him as he draws inspiration and ingredients from the fruits of the sea, the surrounding farmland and his own gardens. Now the head chef of the Michelin starred restaurant in the Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore, Co. Waterford, Martijn shows that he can draw from the many varied experiences he gained from working with the likes of Wynand Vogel, Gert Jan Hageman, Henk Savelberg, John Burton Race, Michel Roux, Pierre Koffmann, Marco Pierre White and Jaques Roosenbrand.
In the year 2007 he relocated to Ireland with his young family on taking up the challenge of working as head chef at the Cliff House in Ardmore, Co. Waterford. His talent, creativity and sheer hard work afforded his restaurant the acclaim of a Michelin star within a year of its opening.
Recently, I was fortunate to have been invited by a generous and enthusiastic food lover to participate in a memorable meal, cooked by Martijn at a sister restaurant of the Waterford establishment in central Dublin: The Cliff Town House. Martin transported his skills, his ingredients, even some of his porcelain dishes from Waterford to Dublin, and with the friendly staff of the Dublin restaurant he organised a Babette style gastronomic experience for those of us who attended the occasion of his tasting menu.
The following gallery is an attempt at locking in my visual memory the sights and the tastes of a food experience that was full of colour, taste and artistic flair.