We met Juliaan in Bali while we were there for business organising a photoshoot for the first range of the collection. Having met him randomly in a restaurant in Bali’s fishing village of Sanur, we instantly though he would be a great model from his laid back disposition and cool aesthetic. The charming Juliaan works as a sushi chef in the cultural metropolis of Amsterdam he notes that his favourite place in Amsterdam is Leipseplein which thrives with activity from the many bars, restaurants and is one of the busiest centres for Amsterdam’s nightlife”.
Another place Juliaan enjoys is the Jordaan neighbourhood. This is a cultural melting pot of the city where there are a wide array of tasty small restaurants/take-away from almost every culture. It’s also home to many art galleries and also markets with fresh food. “I like it when I walk through this neighbourhood, because along the canals and in the narrow streets of the Jordaan, there are independent shops, cozy bars and trendy eateries.”
Juliaan currently works as a sushi chef in Amsterdam but wishes to pursue a career in the hotel industry: “I’m still waiting for my selection of my study. I want to study at The Hotelschool The Hague in Amsterdam or The Hague depends on where they accept me.”
“The 4 year bachelor programme is in English. And only 1/5 of the students who did a selection day will be accepted. 4 weeks ago I did a selection day had an interview with a student and a teacher and got tested on my knowledge, English and maths ability. Normally you have to go to the university, but because of the corona crisis they did the selection procedure online.”
“After I gained practical hospitality experience during phase 1, working for 10 weeks in their facility, restaurants, reception and hotel. I would really like to go on the 5 month internship in a 4 or 5 star hotel, where I can show my skills I have learned in the first phase. So actually I am looking forward to phase 2. I would choose a Spanish speaking country, because I really like this language and I think it’s an important business language and is the third most spoken language in the world so… fingers crossed they will choose me.
Putting his own travel aspirations temporary aside, Juliaan reflects on his day to day in Amsterdam amongst the pandemic:
“Nowadays the restaurant I work is actually more busy then ever, because they focus on sushi for take-away and the normal restaurants are currently closed in the Netherlands because of the corona virus.” Juliaan works at the sushi restaurant his best friend opened in November 2019. The main challenge in opening a sushi restaurant Juliaan states is the “difficulty in finding good sushi-rollers as its not a skill that can be learnt in one or two months as sushi chefs require a decade of training, So I decided to help him in the kitchen.”
In light of the current situation in Amsterdam Juliaan has a lot of free time on his hands. “Unfortunately, the gyms are still closed… A friend and I bought some sport equipment and 3 times a week we train outside and I try to run regularly to stay fit.
He with his mate started an Instagram (@foreverybodysports) account where they produce fitness and motivation videos.
Having met Juliaan in Bali while on vacation, he says that Bali is his ideal travel destination due to “spectacular rice fields waterfalls and sea temples not to mention the fabulous weather!” His recommendations for restaurants includes Cafe Organic where he says you can enjoy scrumptious organic breakfast bowls and quinoa sushi. Additionally he enjoys the traditional Indonesian cuisine at typical Balinese restaurant “where you can taste all the delicious food from they’re fresh and exotic Indonesian ingredients”.
Juliaan notes that he has a penchant for a good gin and tonic however his favourite non alcoholic beverage is sparkling water with a slice of citron for a refreshing beverage.
Juliaan loves nothing more then to hang out at Sieger park in Amerdam’s west, doing exercises and hanging out with friends. Additionally In his leisurely time he enjoys watching many great movies and binge watching his favourite Netflix series Ozark for its “crazy twists, flash backs and the way all the characters evolution is excellent. I’m not going to reveal anything but for sure its worth watching”
Due to COVID-19, work has been quiet for Juliaan, however as soon as isolation is over he plans to head abroad with friends to somewhere warm like Majorca, Spain or back to Bali, Indonesia.
