The next day I went out and stood in front of a beautiful mansion on the Prinsengracht in The Hague. These historic buildings are really huge on the inside, covered with marble and everywhere you can see traces of a few centuries ago. What a special place to work here.

"Kwaliteit en gastbeleving zijn denk ik wel de belangrijkste dingen uit ons vak. Dat zullen wij ook ten allen tijden op nummer 1 houden" - Marc (links) en Youri (rechts)

I had a nice conversation with Youri and his partner Marc about their company MY Horeca Events and they told me more about their company and the services they offer. It turned out to be an interesting conversation and I got so inspired that I wanted to share more about these entrepreneurs and their business on my website.

Get to know Youri and Marc, their company and their passion for cooking and food!

Get cozy!

There's a variety of Cookingworkshops.

Your hosts for the evening!

Youri Kaptein, 31
- 4 years manager VIP
- 1 year manager Bleyenberg
- 2 years Manager Bora Bora
- 15 years employee Cooking-custom

What does cooking and eating mean to you? Youri:
My whole family is a good at cooking, so I learned a lot during my childhood. I have always loved cooking and especially food. Because I have been working in the hospitality industry since I was 14, it has always stayed. In addition, my father opened the cooking studio that is now ours when I was 16. Here too I learned a lot from cooking, guest experience and hospitality

I think quality and guest experience are the most important things in our profession. We will also keep that at number 1 at all times.

Marc van Hogerlinden, 43
- 2 years manager restaurant Next to the Paap
- 8 years manager of Music Café de Paap
- 6 years managing director Wicked Wines
- 2 years assistant maître Hanting Cuisine
- 2 years General Manager Bleyenberg
- Completed various wine courses (WSAT 1,2 and 3; Working with wine)
- Tutor control

What does cooking and eating mean to you? Marc:
I love good food. That's where my love for cooking comes from. Due to my work experience in the hospitality industry, guest experience is very important and has become almost natural for me. Quality of products, environment and atmosphere only contribute to this.

Why did you set up MY Horeca Events?
After working for a boss for a few years, we decided to start our own business. We had gained enough knowledge and experience in the hospitality industry to start a new business. Initially we started our company as MY Horeca Consultancy and we mediated between the catering industry and freelancers. We also provided hospitality training to improve staff. We had seen early on that there was going to be a major shortage of catering staff. Business went quite well and soon we had a pool of 26 freelancers. Then Corona came and the catering market collapsed completely. We were forced to shift our activities. The cooking studio on the Prinsegracht came into view and at the same time we were asked by an acquaintance to do online events. This got better and better. We really enjoy doing the work ourselves and we currently see plenty of opportunities in the market to make this a success

What and for who is MY Horeca? 
- Cooking studio:
MY Horeca events focuses on companies and consumers who want to do a workshop at our cooking studio. At companies that want to rent a space for meetings or seminars. To consumers who want private dining.
- Online events:
With our online events we focus on companies that want to follow an online workshop. In addition, we are now trying to serve consumers who would like to cook with us online. This is possible on registration on certain dates. We are well aware that this group must grow quickly, otherwise it will not be profitable for us to continue to do this.
- Consultancy:
With our Consultancy branch we focus on companies that would like to use our knowledge. In this way we help to improve company structures. Making the staff better. Providing sound advice and helping start up catering businesses.

Enjoy a great evening at MY Horeca Events with your team, family or friends.

How did you manage to survive the Corona Pandemic?
During the Coronapandemic, not much was allowed. That is why we have fully focused on online events. Companies liked to keep in touch with colleagues in this way. And we were allowed to continue to take care of the events.

By making our online events as interactive as possible, we were able to distinguish ourselves from many other providers. By working with a professional studio with multiple camera points, we firstly visualized the workshops in people's homes. We also provided music, a quiz and a good dose of humor. As a result, participants were always pleasantly surprised that there was still a nice outing to do from home.

What are the plans for the future?
For the near future we want to modernize the cooking studio a bit more. Making the work processes more efficient and more professional. In addition, we are working on some small renovations to also rent out the spaces to companies. For example, to hold meetings, but also to provide training or seminars. The space is also very suitable for private dining. In short, we simply use the spaces we have a little more efficiently and more often.

We expect the online part of our company to continue as well. We see this in the applications that are still coming in. That is why we keep track of this and can facilitate this even better in the future by purchasing the necessary equipment.

We just enjoy doing business and are also full of ideas. If we continue to grow, we do not exclude the possibility that we will also focus on perhaps a nice catering business. But that is really the future!

Check online for more information!

MY Horeca Events
Prinsengracht 40
2512 GA, The Hague