Entropy, the soul of the table. Extract from the latest Be Perfect

Young Chef of the Year in Brussels.

On Nov. 4, 2024, Elliott Van de Velde received the title from the renowned Gault & Millau guide. A prestigious award for his gastronomic work at Entropy, which was founded two and a half years earlier. And all the more exceptional because Entropy is not a restaurant. And Elliott Van de Velde is not a chef. At least not in the traditional sense of the word.

He feeds the emotions as well as the body.

Thoughts feed through the senses and flavors. Entropy is the project of a lifetime, of two even, since it was conceived as a couple by Elliott Van de Velde and Adeline Barras, at the intersection of a committed approach, the wonder of taste and a holistic experience. A concept far off the culinary beaten path, impossible to name and all the more essential to discover. The appointment was made, on a day when the sunny atmosphere radiated across Place Saint-Géry to the door of a former 18th-century inn. Behind it, beauty, crafted to the smallest detail. A handmade bar of light wood forms an impressive centerpiece and every element recalls it, down to the piece of branch on which the cutlery rests. The fascinating sculptures of Mathilde Wittock, who turned tennis balls into colorful patchwork.

The walls are decorated with mosaics of roots, a fine example of bio-design and biomimicry that combines acoustic functionality with aesthetic appeal. A multitude of books on the shelves tell about plants, botany and cooking, and dried flowers hang from the ceiling and tables. As Elliott Van de Velde explains, “Without an invitation, there is no moment. Without a warm welcome and conviviality, the kitchen, however sublime, loses its meaning. What fascinates me is witnessing this discovery of vegetables through a global form of naturalness, through the eyes of those we receive. Their expression is transformed by the surprise effect, by the unknown combinations of dishes, by their growing awareness of our world. It is this sharing, this passing on, that is my motivation”.

Cultivating taste and authenticity

Elliott Van de Velde met his passion by chance and never left it while working as a waiter in a Lebanese restaurant. It was love at first sight that gave rise to his approach as a culinary explorer, an autodidact who fantasizes against the grain. He starts with the most subtle combinations to reveal the purity of ingredients and elements often neglected, such as leaves, roots or buds, to reach the quintessence of flavors. “Having learned to cook myself, by testing and practicing, has given me a lot of confidence

“Because I learned to cook myself, through testing and practice, there is a lot of room for instinct. An intuitive way of working that encourages you to reinvent yourself. I do a lot of juxtapositions, slow cooking and macerations. There are recipes and there is the alchemy that arises naturally, sometimes through a small change in cooking, cutting or quantity, allowing a dish to be reinterpreted in a thousand different ways. This means that a menu, although it retains its essence, is never set in stone.” A menu designed as a journey that takes you on four, five or eight stops that never ceases to amaze. From an introduction of turnips, black radish and daikon cooked and raw duo, Koji foam with yuzu, herb juice and marjoram oil, tempura fritters with herbs, spoon wood roossake. A sweet interlude with pumpkin macerated in orange blossom wine, grilled over a flame.

Ranger wine, grilled over a flame with citrus kozo, pumpkin cake, pumpkin spice ice cream, creamy turmeric and sea buckthorn and pumpkin juice.

An exceptional gastronomy, which you cannot fully enjoy without also being steeped in the humanist vision. “Our vocation is to be a place of nourishment, in every sense of the word. Not only in terms of enjoyment and indulgence, but also in terms of education about life, sustainability and ecology through our Hearth Project association,” explains Elliott Van de Velde.

“A principle of a fair and circular ecosystem, with a real social impact, not only through an urban garden, courses and workshops, but also through the redistribution of fifty to a hundred meals a week to people in precarious situations. Entropy's actions are supported not only by financial gain, but also by creativity and philosophy. It is an unforgettable experience that continues to inspire you long after you leave the table.