Pleaser and approacher put their shoulders under Hofstede Villetta: “This is an opportunity that we will never get again”
ZONNEMAIRE – The moving boxes are still packed, but immediately behind the facade of Hofstede Villetta in Zonnemaire hard work is done. The new owners Oscar Antonisen and Wyona Praet make their dream come true in that small Schouwen-Duiveland village.
On Monday Antonisen and Praet (both 37 years old) and their children Vesper (2) and Logan (11 months) crossed the threshold of the old Zonnemair farm. The first B&B guests arrived on Friday. And on Saturday a five-course dinner was presented during the Route Culinair Zonnemaire. A flying start for the young family from New and Sint Joosland. The two sold their house there and quit their jobs. “We saw the house and B&B on Funda and thought: this is a chance we will never get again.”
Old village farm
I really enjoy cooking for people and seeing them enjoy it. I’ve always been a pleaser
Oscar Antonisen, Kok and together with his wife the owner of Villetta
That house on Walcheren? They could grow old there. And moving with children? No, they would never do that. Until they saw Villetta for sale a year and a half ago. A bed & breakfast, housed in an old village farm from 1841. With room for 30 guests, spread over 12 rooms. From an apartment to a studio and even a single room. Antonisen, a Middelburger by birth, was working in the kitchen of Auberge Des Moules in Philippine. Praet, originally from Zierikzee, was involved in buying and selling at a steel company. The size of the Zonnemair establishment (“It’s actually more like a small hotel or guest house”) makes it possible to earn a living together. Plans have enough for the young entrepreneurs.
In addition to serving breakfast, Antonisen is going to cook three evenings a week for his guests. ,, I really enjoy cooking for people and seeing them enjoy it. I’ve always been a pleaser. The best thing is to surprise people with things they don’t normally like and then do something else with that. ”The bed & breakfast rates also offer Schouwen-Duiveland people the chance to unpack, he expects. ,, Nice dining and wines. And then you roll into your bed like this. “
Farmhemian
A professional kitchen will be installed soon. And the rooms get a metamorphosis one by one. Farmhemian style; a combination of rural life with bohemian. In the longer term, the two have even bigger plans. The attic of the old barn offers all the space you need to drastically redesign it. Step by step, Antonisen and Praet look ahead. Family and guests mix effortlessly in the living room of the homestead. Children’s toys versus professional coffee machine. ,, We want to implement that personal touch everywhere. Professional, but also informal. That is exactly how we see it. “
Bron: https://www.pzc.nl/