Chef Theo of Het Lokaal in Drunen shares insights on Debic Cheesecake
In the North Brabant region of the Netherlands, in the heart of Drunen, Het Lokaal is the regular host of cosy events. In the brasserie and on the large terrace, local and regional residents like to come for lunch, a cup of coffee, drinks, or dinner. In this interview, chef Theo van der Waard shares more about this place, in which he has been working for over two years, and how he uses convenience products like Debic Cheesecake.
Due to its unmatched cosiness, Het Lokaal can safely be called the town’s living room. Etiënne van Arnhem, the owner of the brasserie, keeps its doors open daily (except during winter) from late mornings to late evenings, where customers are welcome to have lunch, drinks, and dinner. They can also enjoy a warm cup of coffee with a delicious piece of cake. With room for 80 guests inside and another 100 outside on the terrace, lots of cake slices are served every day.
Het Lokaal was opened in 2015, and Etiënne van Arnhem has been the owner since May 2022. He recently took over the next-door Grand-Café de Arcade, which he renovated and gave a new look. The 35-year-old chef Theo van der Waard previously worked in Kaatsheuvel at Grand Café Du Nord and in the à la carte restaurant of the Efteling Hotel. He also spent three years in Luxembourg working in hospitality. Since the summer of 2022, he has been part of the Het Lokaal team.
“The doors of Het Lokaal are always open and welcoming as we have many guests from Drunen as well as the surrounding towns. People know where to find us for lunch and drinks, both in the afternoon and in the evening. This is partly due to the atmosphere and the extensive drinks menu with snacks, speciality beers, and cocktails. But we also see that interest in dinner is growing. Guests also join for the events we organise, such as the Craft Beer Festival and the pub quizzes and local celebrations, such as the annual Dickens Festival.”
“The atmosphere of the place is completed by the casual menu with recognisable dishes. The runner on the lunch menu is, for example, the Het Lokaal sandwich, with spicy warm chicken, red onion, tomato, cucumber, and sriracha mayonnaise. In the evening, classics such as carpaccio, burgers, chicken satay, and schnitzel can be found on the menu, as well as tuna tartare, prawns, and sea bass. Crème brûlée and panna cotta are the most ordered desserts, for which we use Debic products to create,” says Theo.
Before joining Het Lokaal, Theo had already worked with Debic products. “I have been using Debic for many years, and it perfectly met my needs. Due to delivery disruptions from a fire, I tried an alternative, but it didn’t meet my standards at all. I use a few dessert products, such as the Debic Crème Brûlée, Chocolate Mousse, and the Panna Cotta. The best part of Debic’s dessert line is that it requires less kitchen manpower. Desserts and pastries require exact measurements, while these products are already crafted with the ideal proportions of each ingredient. This provides convenience and saves time. By using Debic, we avoid the need for an extra pastry chef, which is a major benefit in today’s tight labour market and with personnel costs on the rise,” says Theo.
Debic asked Theo to test the new Debic Cheesecake in his kitchen. These are Theo’s impressions: “The bottle contains a liquid dessert base with all the ingredients you need to create a no-bake cheesecake. You just need to whip the liquid straight from the bottle for five minutes, pour or pipe it onto a prepared base, refrigerate, and your cheesecake is ready. It’s as easy as it sounds! The result is a cheesecake with a light, fluffy texture that’s softer than traditional versions, offering a delightful bite.
We used to buy cheesecake from wholesalers, but now I will only use Debic Cheesecake. Of course, you still need to make the bottom of the cake, but this is ready in no time. Overall, Debic Cheesecake saves over 30% in purchasing costs. Preparing a cheesecake from scratch typically takes around 45 minutes, but with Debic, it’s done in no time. The price-quality ratio is excellent, and while I can’t make cheesecake myself, I find Debic’s taste to be great.”
With Debic Cheesecake, any chef or pastry chef can create a good cheesecake base. With this base, you can creatively alternate the cheesecake’s crunchy base, the toppings, as well as flavours to create unique desserts.
Theo says: "Biscuits such as kletskoppen, bastogne biscuits, and stroopwafels are a delicious base. You can make an autumnal cheesecake with notes of caramel with a base of kletskoppen and with nuts or pieces of kletskop as a topping. A crunchy topping with kletskop, mint, and raspberry coulis is also a delightful combination. You can give flavour to the Debic Cheesecake base by adding fresh fruits, coulis, chocolate, syrups, liqueurs, and other beverages.
With lime or lemon juice and zest, you can easily create a lemon cheesecake. This gives a bit more structure and taste. You can also create interesting structures by mixing the cookie crust with the cheesecake base.
You can also serve just the cheesecake base in a glass or bowl and add a topping. With coffee, you can offer a tip of cheesecake in a small glass, and it is also a nice part of a grand dessert. At Het Lokaal, we keep it simple, so we remain modest with our toppings, but you can put anything on it, from mini chatterheads to fruits and edible flowers."
Theo made two different cheesecakes for Kokswereld.
- Crush stroopwafels for the base and filling.
- Add melted butter to the stroopwafel crumble for the filling.
- Pour into a springform pan, press down, and let cool.
- Beat the Debic Cheesecake for 5 minutes at full speed.
- After 4.5 minutes, add the remaining stroopwafel crumble.
- Pour on top of the bottom and let it set.
- Decorate with coarsely chopped pieces of stroopwafel.
- Crush bastogne cake for the crust.
- Add melted butter to the bastogne cake.
- Pour into a springform pan, press down, and let cool.
- Beat the Debic Cheesecake for 5 minutes at full speed.
- After 4.5 minutes, add limoncello to the Debic Cheesecake and let it cool (reduce the limoncello if you don’t want alcohol in the cake. In that case, let the limoncello cool down before you add it).
- Pour on top of the bottom and let it set.
- Decorate with red fruits such as red currant and raspberry.
This article is based on an original publication by Kokswereld, translated with permission into English. The original text was written by Astrid Schreuders, with photography by Corina van Manen. The original article can be found at https://www.kokswereld.nl/chef-theo-van-het-lokaal-in-drunen-over-debic-cheesecake/
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