Willem Hiele

Willem Hiele (b. 1981) grew up in Oostende and Koksijde in a family of fishermen. As a passionate surfer he explored the most beautiful coastal places in the world. Everything he does and makes is connected to the sea. With his background as a baker, Willem Hiele developed his own style of terroir cooking for which he is known today: complex and simple at the same time. His eponymous restaurant in Oudenburg occupies a brutalist building from 1971 set amid the polders of De Grote Keignaert, moved from the family fishing hut in Koksijde. The cooking is seafood-led and fire-based, built around sustainability, zero waste, and a strict daily-fishCatch philosophy. The restaurant earned its first Michelin star in 2021 and debuted on The World's 50 Best Restaurants at No. 77 that same year. In 2024 it retained its first star and rose to No. 62 on the European OAD ranking.