Want to take a look behind the scenes at unBOXed? A gastronomic food box featuring creations from four top chefs who boast a combined total of eight Michelin stars.

What happens when four star chefs put their heads together? Spectacular flavor bombs emerge, finding their way into a brand-new, out-of-the-box food concept: unBOXed.

Want to taste the creations of four culinary top talents—together worth no fewer than eight Michelin stars—at home or at the office? You can! Starting May 20, top chefs Cyril Molard, David Martin, Nick Bril, and Tim Boury are jointly launching a unique food box. Enjoy a gastronomic restaurant experience in your own home!

The dishes remain a delicious secret for now, but we were allowed to take a behind-the-scenes look at the preview of the main course, conceived by Nick Bril, chef at The Jane.

The backstory and how it all began.

Jan Verhelle from Diner Privé Catering, partner of the unBOXed Foodbox, welcomes us to Hotel Gosset in Groot-Bijgaarden. His team of chefs is receiving instructions from star chef Nick Bril today to prepare the main course for the food box. The necessary preparations are being made in the kitchen. Meanwhile, we ask Jan if he can tell us more about how this food box idea came about.

At the beginning of this year, Jan decided to no longer let the pandemic spoil the fun. Catering for large events was no longer possible for an indefinite period, so he let his entrepreneurial mind and creative spirit work together to come up with an alternative. Not much later, a unique food box concept was born. In February, the first food box was created and became an immediate success. An Easter box followed, and now it’s time for unBOXed, available from May 20. It is mainly aimed at the B2B market, but during the Pentecost weekend, individuals can also enjoy it! Jan sees the food box concept with the four chef friends as something permanent, aiming for three to four different boxes per year. It’s a promising future, with the possibility of expansion abroad, where they could work with a guest chef, for example.

Who are these four star chef friends and what is their contribution to unBOXed?

• Cyril Molard – two-star chef at restaurant Ma Langue Sourit in Moutfort, Luxembourg – creator of the appetizers
• David Martin – two-star chef at restaurant La Paix in Brussels – creator of the dessert
• Nick Bril – two-star chef at restaurant The Jane in Antwerp – creator of the main course
• Tim Boury – two-star chef at restaurant Boury in Roeselare – creator of the appetizer

What’s in the box?

Jan shows us an example of the physical box, designed by artist Denis Meyers. The box contains, among other things, an aperitif, water, wine, appetizers, a starter, a main course, and a dessert. Everything can be heated in the microwave (or oven); you only need to provide your own glasses and cutlery. The box also includes a menu card, instructions for heating the dishes, and QR codes that link to matching video messages from the star chefs. Even background music has been thought of.

The dishes reveal themselves in a beautifully custom-made and specially folded white box that opens like a fairy-tale water lily.

The unBOXed Foodbox costs €140 per person and there are eight collection points (home delivery is possible for an additional fee).

The ideal business gift during an online business lunch. Or enjoy four star restaurants at once in your own home.

The main course preview

When we get to take a look in the kitchen, Diner Privé Catering’s permanent cooking team and star chef Nick Bril are already hard at work. Discussing cooking times, weighing ingredients exactly… every detail is important. The three permanent cooks must soon be able to prepare Nick’s recipe perfectly by themselves. Soon they will have to prepare the dishes in large quantities. Another team is responsible for plating the dishes.

This preview cooking session requires the utmost concentration, but between all the cooking, I managed to catch Patricia, the cold kitchen chef, for a quick word.

Are you nervous? How does it feel to prepare a star chef’s creation for the first time under his strict but fair supervision?

“I’m not really nervous, because we’re used to working with star chefs. But for this concept, there are four of them, so that does create some extra pressure (laughs). With a food box, you have no control over what people do with their food, so it really has to be perfect, and that requires extra concentration. I write down all the recipes and work out a step-by-step plan that we hang in the kitchen, so steps are never forgotten.”

What do you think of this main course created by top chef Nick Bril?

“Superb! I even discovered something new: a simple, incredibly tasty oil that Nick made, full of flavor.”

Patricia hands me a tasting spoon with some oil. My taste buds tingle with pleasure. Even in a simple oil, you can taste the talent of a top chef who is worth every star.

I ask Nick where he got his inspiration for this dish.

“I’m classically trained, but I’ve traveled a lot through Asia. By adding a certain Asian touch, I can create tension in this dish. I also had spring and summer in mind when I conceived this recipe. I also had to think from a catering mindset; when creating such a food box, you have to consider the production side.”

An unparalleled 3D dessert

Star chef David Martin, creator of the dessert for unBOXed, also stopped by afterwards. I took advantage of the opportunity and asked him the same question about his dish.

Where did you get the inspiration for the dessert?

“The bird is based on the logo of my restaurant, La Paix. An edible 3D print less than 1 mm thick is unseen and unique. No one has ever made anything like it before.”

I’m curious to see how unBOXed unfolds soon, aren’t you?

More info about this original food concept at www.be-unboxed.com

De Schone Schrijfster

-where words awaken-

As a freelance copywriter, I offer hospitality businesses first aid for (re)writing or proofreading texts. Menus, recipes, flyers, brochures, posters, websites, social media… I’m happy to check for language errors and smooth things over. Or I can mix your words into a delicious text that makes your customers’ mouths water. Call or write to me. For a taste, check out my website www.deschoneschrijfster.be and follow me on Facebook.