The modern kitchen

Jos van Oosterhout (1959) joined Mitland 45 years ago. The Food & Beverage manager saw many changes, but according to him, some things are still exactly the same. “I was nineteen. Just finished school and I wanted to start working immediately. At that time, Mitland was still called the Mitbanen. Already a well-known name in Utrecht. Business was going so well that the complex could be expanded with a restaurant, which could accommodate about 80 guests. That seemed like something for me. I was allowed to help make this new part a success right from the opening.

The menu was not as extensive as it is now. Toasties and bowls of satay and especially bitterballen were very popular. The first fondue pots were cheerfully bubbling on the tables. The men ordered a beer or a cola vieux. The ladies liked sherry, rosé, or a sweet German white wine. We noted the bill on the back of a beer mat. Everyone still paid in cash. If people couldn't pay, we wrote the outstanding amount ‘on the slate’. The Netherlands discovered nightlife and ‘going out’ gradually took on a different meaning.

With the arrival of the hotel, of course, a serious meal had to be served to our guests, daily fare such as steak or a piece of fried salmon. For dessert, a dame blanche or a sorbet with a little umbrella. In the early nineties, there was even an aquarium with live lobsters in the establishment. There turned out to be little demand for lobster, so the seawater tank quickly disappeared again. Fortunately, the hotel was doing very well.

The fondue pot was replaced by the gourmet plate, and there was a bit more variety in the menu. We had a lot of company parties in those years and received many staff associations. A bit of humor was, of course, not to be missed. If an English guest inquired if we also had ‘mussels’, we would show our muscular arms.

We worked long days, sometimes up to 14 hours straight. But no one complained. With lots of coffee and a quick cigarette outside, we managed at that age. Afterward, we would always discuss the day's events together. And then around 3 or 4 o'clock, exhausted but satisfied, you would go to bed. The kitchen nowadays looks like a laboratory with all those screens and automated systems. We have cocktails and mocktails and an extensive vegetarian offering. There is decaffeinated cappuccino with soy milk and tea made from thinly sliced fresh ginger with honey and a slice of orange. There is muesli, cruesli, and left-turning yogurt. And the gourmet plate has been replaced by the table grill. My incomparable, incredibly dedicated staff in the kitchen and service are no longer the bowing ‘penknife’ of the past with a black vest.

We now wear dark blue shirts, trendy green aprons, and sneakers. But 45 years later, we are still just as service-oriented and hospitable as on the first day I started at Mitland. And while we may not be able to fulfill every wish, we certainly do our very best.”