'It's good to give a new future to historic sites'
Joni Sloesen owns restaurant Sober. This formula brings together three passions of the 28-year-old Venlo native: a restaurant, a vegetable garden plus the Zavel wine estate with over 6,000 vines: 300 in Tegelen and almost 6,000 at the large vineyard in Baexem. Sufficient reason to nominate him for the Talent Award.
Sloesen is assisted by his associates Peter Bogema (restaurant) and Arno Janssen (wine estate). Both businesses are located in and around his grandfather's former ceramics factory in Tegelen. "This place is part of our family and there is a lot of feeling in this place for me. My grandfather started here when he was 14 as a clerk in Mulder machine factory. He later bought the premises for his own business, Ceramic Industry Limburg. My father has now had the workshop, showroom plus warehouse of his ceramic products here for many years. Production takes place in Lelystad and Portugal. Actually, it even felt like a duty to start here. Many young people leave Tegelen; so did I myself. But look at the opportunities we have here. It's good to give a new future to historic places like this."
From first sandwich to sommelier
Owner, gardener, winemaker, administrator and sommelier. Just some of the jobs and tasks Sloesen spoons up as he talks about his daily activities. And it started once, at the age of seven, with making a sandwich. He laughs as he recalls this memory. "After the cheese and ham, I thought: there should be something special on it. I saw a jar of herbs and smeared it on the bread. It turned out to be dried thyme and it tasted delicious. I started having fun making dishes. That's how the idea of becoming a chef was born." However, the plan never materialised concretely. He did start studying at the higher hotel school in Breda, but being the only student, Sloesen never chose a side job or internship as a chef. "During my stay in South Africa and visiting vineyards, the passion for wine was born," he says. "I got a job in a wine shop, started reading a lot about it, visited tastings and chose a graduate internship at Chateau Amsterdam. There they taught me everything about wine production and the whole commerce around it. It was still a start-up then, I also learned how to set up a business there."
'Sometimes something succeeds, sometimes it doesn't. And those who persevere in their goals come out twice as strong.'
Time capsule
After an internship in Germany, Sloesen realised that Venlo had not yet established its own wine estate. Moreover, he developed an entirely unique vision of wine making. "I'm not saying our wine is better, just different. Good wine develops in a kind of time capsule. Several factors determine the flavour. Early or late ripening, a thick or thin shell, the soil, the climate, the location et cetera. Therein lies the magic. We try to steer as little as possible. The natural process is very important to me. Almost all the products we use in our dishes come from our own region or our own garden. That fits the concept. We wanted to cause a stir and I think we have succeeded."
Entrepreneurship
On entrepreneurship, Sloesen says: "I am someone who loves to get down to business. During the realisation of our plans, there were challenges : procrastination, corona, opposition. Nevertheless, I like entrepreneurship. It provides a lot of freedom. Yes, there are certainly the necessary hectic moments or days. As an entrepreneur, you are never ready. There is always something to be done. Money is not my motivation. This is a passion. The team is there for us every day, no matter how difficult entrepreneurship is sometimes. I have found that every phase comes to an end. Even difficult times. This is then immediately an excellent example of rethinking. I have learned to let go. For me, the road to it is just as important as the final goal. And you can achieve that goal in different ways. Sometimes something succeeds, sometimes it doesn't. And those who persevere in their goal come out twice as strong."
www.sober-zavel.nl/restaurant-sober
Text: Rob Buchholz - Photography: Bram Becks
