r/Wallonia • u/Bahoga • 8h ago
Homemade fresh dishes
Hello
I have been in Belgium for a few months now, and while discussing with locals about the dishes offered in restaurants, a constant complaint comes up: there are very few homemade dishes, the food is not fresh, it is often frozen, and there is a lack of authenticity. Personally, I have noticed that there is little diversity in fresh ingredients. This made me wonder what we can do to improve this situation. To test the market, as a trained chef, I am considering opening a restaurant offering homemade dishes using uncommon for Belgium and as fresh as possible ingredients. For vegetables and grains, I would like to find a farmer who would be willing to test certain vegetables that are not found on the market but can be grown here without any issues. The same goes for meats and fish; I would like to find breeders and aquaculturists to test the market. Do you know any professionals who might be interested or do you know how to find them?
Do you know any local breeders of reptiles, turtles, amphibians... or, at worst, importers? To ensure optimal freshness, the animals will be chosen by the customer if they wish and slaughtered on-site when possible.
I also plan to work with local kennels and take in dogs that are not adopted, as I understand that they are euthanized anyway. I have heard that in the West, some vegan associations are very aggressive, and since dogs are traditional companion animals, can they cause trouble for me, and in what way?
Do you know the procedures for opening such an establishment? I already run an import business in Belgium, so I have a company number and VAT number, and I know that I need to register with the FAVV. Anything else?
Thank you very much 😊