About us
Dane
Nowadays consumers have the idea that they have already tasted everything. The Dutch live with the luxury that all types of kitchens and a huge number of special products are easily available. Still, new products come onto the market every year. Unique flavors emerge from these ingredients, which our team brings together into a dish. At Restaurant Dané, familiar ingredients come together with products that have never been tasted before.
Although our dishes are unique and distinctive, it is essential to us that the restaurant remains accessible to everyone. We want to introduce Haarlem to special dishes, but classics can also be found on our menu. Our goal is to expand our guests' taste palette and teach them about the story behind our products.
The entire team is closely involved in the creation of our dishes. Not only the kitchen team, but also the service thinks along. Before a dish actually appears on the menu, all the staff have tried it. We think it is important and valuable that all our staff have knowledge of our dishes. We therefore believe that a committed and close-knit team is the essential basis for providing high-quality service to our guests.
Tommy
Tommy Nelissen is co-owner and Chef of Restaurant Dané. The Haarlemmer could already be found in the kitchen at the age of 10. Namely in his father's Michelin star restaurant, Cheval Blanc in Heemstede. For years he lived above the restaurant with his family and the kitchen immediately felt like his second home. After high school, he immediately decided to pursue his dream – his own restaurant – and started culinary training in Leiden. Tommy started his career in the kitchen of Restaurant Hout in Haarlem and worked his way up to sous chef. It was there that he also met his current girlfriend and now business partner, Laurien Davids. After five years, Tommy was ready for a new challenge. He found it at Restaurant Brick in Haarlem. He was the Chef and here he was given the time and freedom to create his own signature in the kitchen. The dream of having your own restaurant is now becoming reality after 28 years with the opening of Restaurant Dané.
![](https://restaurantdane.nl/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Tommy-Restaurant-Dane-1-710x1024.png)
![](https://restaurantdane.nl/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Laurien-Restaurant-Dane-1-710x1024.png)
Laurien
Laurien Davids is co-owner of Restaurant Dané. She takes on the role of hostess and sommelier within the restaurant. Laurien also had great admiration for Horeca from an early age. Her interest in vinology was aroused at the Hotel School, but especially the combination with being a hostess appealed to her. Because of her eagerness to learn, she developed her own definition of 'hospitality' from an early age. Who is mainly characterized by her caring character and spontaneity. Laurien gained her experience at Restaurant Cheval Blanc, Restaurant Brick and Restaurant Hout, but also overseas at Delfins Beach Resort on Bonaire. During her work as a hostess at Restaurant Hout, she bumped into Tommy Nelissen in the kitchen. Together they make their long-cherished dream a reality by opening Restaurant Dané. Both their surnames can therefore be found in the name of the restaurant.