Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Francine At Tjemaralaan 14
For my section ” Francine I really enjoy visiting small entrepreneurs with a great passion. And so I know Marc Tierolf through Facebook. I came into contact with him through mutual friends and saw that he has a wonderful startup business in Indian food. Of course I was immediately curious about the how and the why. That's why this one Francine Bee Tjemaralaan 14 to get to know the history and story behind this company.
Batavia the year 1922, Indonesia
A soft, cool breeze blows across the veranda of Tjemaralaan 14. The palms are rustling and further away you hear a barking dog. In the distance the buzz of a city slowly coming to rest. While the big Anglos are still smoldering in the garden and you can still smell the smell of charcoal, Miet sits down in her chair. Humming softly, she takes out her cooking notebook.
With her tired hands she picks up her pen and starts writing down her family's recipes. And while the setting sun scorches the sky, Miet ensures that her secrets are not lost. What she does not yet know is that generations later her secrets will be brought back to life. She closes her eyes and enjoys the peace that the evening brings. Tomorrow there's another day….
Grandma Miet
Mimie Georgine of Spain-de Liser de Morsain was born on February 9, 1900 in Batavia. She married on April 21, 1921 and had a total of four children. She sets up a very successful business, a rantang service. A rantang is a food carrier with four or five pans on top of each other, all of which are filled with food. These pans often contain rice, various vegetables and meat or fish. Grandma Miet prepared these dishes on large Anglos in her garden. An Anglo is a kind of outdoor oven that is fueled by charcoal. There are very large pans on it in which all kinds of dishes can be prepared.
People could take out a subscription with Oma Miet to have food delivered, which was then delivered to their home by bicycle. She sometimes made up to 100 rantangs a day! Her spekkoek and Muscovite and other sweet treats are also in great demand. The address in Jakarta is Tjemaralaan number: 14.
Flight to Netherlands
In 1958, Miet fled to the Netherlands. The situation was no longer tenable and it was far too dangerous to stay in Jakarta. Between 1945 and 1965, approximately 300.00 Indos left for the Netherlands. This was also called "repatriation". Returning to the homeland. However, many of them had never set foot on Dutch soil. Marc tells me that Grandma Miet spoke Dutch and was also “raised Dutch”. Grandma Miet left for the Netherlands with nothing more than a few wooden trunks and her beloved mortar and some small belongings, but she had to leave everything else behind.
Miet is already 58 when she arrives in the Netherlands and she no longer continues her business. She does cook delicious dinners for her family. And sometimes also a tasty bacon biscuit from a nearby shop.
The start of Tjemaralaan 14
In 1990, when Marc was fifteen years old, he made his first trip to Indonesia, Marc tells Francine at Tjemaralaan 14. And something very special happened to him there. He connects with his Indian background. Being Indian in the Netherlands was very normal for Marc, but by seeing, smelling, feeling and tasting the country a seed was planted. Back in the Netherlands he maintains a very good relationship with Grandma Miet and Grandma Irma.
She is Miet's youngest daughter and Grandma Miet also lived there. Grandma Irma gave Marc a delicious bottle of ketjap every month and told him: If you don't have any money, just eat a bowl of rice with this ketjap and you won't be short of anything! Later he learned how to make this ketjap himself and regularly shares it with family and friends. And suddenly the idea arises that this should be shared with many more people. He sets up his small business and starts working with Grandma Miet's cooking notebooks.
Kecap Sedeng from Grandma Miet
The special thing about this ketjap is that it is semi-sweet. So a completely different taste than you know from the well-known brands in the supermarket. It originates from the Sundanese cuisine in West Java. This cuisine is characterized by the combination of sour/sweet/salty. They are also beautiful bottles that are in Marc's living room. The fantastic label with Grandma Miet's photo on it. Ketjap Sedeng, written in her own handwriting. The nostalgia literally drips from the bottle.
And there is no shortage of nostalgia at Marc's house. His living room, for example, is like an Indian museum filled with old black and white photos. An enormous collection of pans, cookbooks and all kinds of other Indian memorabilia also makes you feel like you're in Jakarta. We will then quickly taste the Ketjap. Marc gives me 3 small spoons, each with a different type of Ketjap. Grandma Miet's stands out! What a refined taste.
The possibilities at Marc
Because the company Tjamaralaan 14, is only a few years old, Marc still works full-time in another job. But step by step he is getting closer to following his dream. And so Marc already offers a lot of possibilities with Tjemaralaan 14. He gives cooking workshops at people's homes and you cook a beautiful menu under his guidance. Marc also offers catering for, for example, companies and private individuals. And of course you can order the soy sauce and bacon cakes online on his site. Naturally, he can be found at the Tong Tong Fair in The Hague, where he also gives inspiring cooking demos.
Francine Bee Tjemaralaan 14
What a very nice “Francine Bij” was Francine at Tjemaralaan 14! Marc's cordiality is unprecedented, it feels like coming home to an old friend. He tells about the family history with love and passion. In my opinion, Indian cuisine is one that really takes you back in time through the dishes of Oma Miet and Marc. A true piece of cultural heritage that has been restored to its former glory in the small kitchen in The Hague. So I can also recommend everyone to buy a bottle of soy sauce or a bacon cake from Marc. Close your eyes and imagine yourself at the table with Grandma Miet on her veranda in Jakarta….
www.tjemaralaan14.nl
For information or a price request for a catering or workshop, please contact Marc.
Marc Tierolf 06-54201770
Info@tjemaralaan14.nl
Francine Bee Tjemaralaan 14, in the photo shown above I tasted the bacon cake, Lemper and Muscovy.
Delicious Happen is a multi-media company, so you can also find me on various social media. follow me on Facebook, Pinterest en Instagram under @delicioushappen. If you make this recipe I would love it if you tagged me #delicioushappen. A comment below in the comments is also nice of course!