Restaurant ONE

ONE (Roermond, the Netherlands), where Edwin Soumang blends creativity and sustainability

"Opened in 2007 by chef Edwin Soumang and sommelier Bethany DeLong, this Roermond restaurant moved in 2012 into the former ECI factory, where a few herb boxes grew into a full kitchen garden behind the building. After early struggles with rabbits and drainage, and with help from renowned grower Jacques Nijskens, the garden now anchors a produce-first philosophy: what’s grown goes on the plate in a single set menu with a flexible number of courses and weekly changes, with waste kept to a minimum. Bees were introduced, a gardener and volunteers maintain the plots, and the kitchen and service team harvest daily; the place now opens four days a week in the name of well-being. A thorough refurbishment made the philosophy tangible through natural materials, tables by a local craftsman, recycled leather instead of table linen, and a central “Vertical Garden” by artist Claudy Jongstra in the listed building. Sustainability runs through every fibre here, supported by a community that brings surplus fruit and proposes forest-garden collaborations. Soumang starts his day by mixing sourdough and making coffee, chooses illycaffè for quality, and threads coffee into the experience via cocktails like a fantastic Espresso Martini and occasional desserts such as a coffee soufflé, with spent grounds returned to the garden to deter slugs, all while the team refines the kitchen’s signature style and evolving story." - Le Guide MICHELIN