Remember, our Look of the Year Awards that we celebrated in the Concertgebouw? With the tastiest snacks ever? And with the nicest service ever and with that beautiful decoration? Carola was behind that. Carola works at Van Dam Catering and there you get the whole package. Food, hostesses, decoration, tables, chairs, I could go on. Usually, I get distracted quite quickly at the table because I like to keep an eye on the service, but that one evening I didn't catch myself doing that even once. Everything went incredibly smoothly and the Italian snacks were to die for. Carola is the epitome of calm and you need that when organizing a special event. Well, I think you can tell that I was very impressed. A good reason to ask her for ‘Dinner with...’.

Where in the world is your favorite restaurant?

‘That's Top of the Hub in Boston, USA. A restaurant on the 52nd floor, especially loved for the wonderful memories. We celebrated my sister's 16th birthday there and also the 5-year anniversary with my boyfriend. When I lived in Boston for a year, I often stopped by for a drink with a beautiful view.’

And who would you really like to have dinner with? It can be anyone.

‘Tough question, because who wouldn't? On a professional level, it would definitely be Sergio Herman, what a passion he has for the profession. I found his documentary very interesting to watch. A dinner with Máxima or even a meeting with her, like Josselin has had once, is definitely on my bucket list.’

Where do you prefer to sit in a restaurant?

‘Besides good food and drinks, I also love people-watching, so just put me somewhere with my back against the wall so I can keep an eye on everyone.’

What do you always hope is on a menu?

‘Something I have never eaten. For our catering company, I am always looking for new dishes and trends in food, so bring on those delicious new dishes!’

Do you find your way on the wine list?

‘At the Hotel School, we certainly received the basic knowledge about wine, but it's just like with a language, you have to keep practicing to stay good at it. I can recognize white wine quite well and I am a huge sucker for Chardonnay (thanks May-Britt, for the recent wine research, where we Chardonnay drinkers came out well). The Bernardus in our brasserie is one of those wines that you really do me a favor with. Champagne is also always good, it gives me such a festive feeling! Regarding red wines, I still need some extra practical experience to really say which type of wine is being served, but that's obviously no punishment.’

Starter or dessert?

‘Appetizer. Sometimes I even take a number of appetizers instead of a starter and a main course, because I enjoy seeing how the chefs plate and serve the appetizers. Although I can also find it very hard to resist the Oreo cheesecake in our brasserie.’

What fun project are you currently working on?

‘Since I took over Van Dam Catering last September with Sebastiaan van Dam and our chef Maarten Tromp, I have been busier than ever organizing beautiful events. A nice example of this is your Look of the Year Awards in the Concertgebouw where I, together with your lovely Theo, came up with everything and ultimately executed it. Furthermore, besides all the fun events, dinners, and parties, I am also training hard to run the Amsterdam marathon this year, so if you have any tips for me, Jet, they are definitely welcome, haha.’