In the Dutch republic of the 17th century, there were a lot of developments. The economy flourished, science made enormous progress and art and culture bloomed. But as many people don’t know, during this time, a food revolution was born that reached far beyond the Dutch dining tables. Healthy, seasonal and sustainable food products are central to this Dutch food culture. De Tuin van Holland (The Garden of Holland) is a program commissioned by the Provincie Zuid-Holland, where projects are carried out that aim to inspire both home cooks and chefs with the rich history of the Dutch food culture.

In collaboration with De Tuin van Holland, this master’s thesis uses the inspiring stories of the Dutch food culture that existed in the 17th century in order to contribute to increasing the appreciation for local and seasonal products in the present day-to-day life. The aim is to enrich the consumer's restaurant experience by telling stories of the history of the Dutch food culture in restaurants.

When looking at the local food industry, three parties are most important: food producers, chefs and consumers (i.e. guests in the restaurants). Participants within these groups are involved in all phases of this project.

Currently, chefs are looking for a way to apply storytelling about the local seasonal food ingredients they use in their restaurants. Food producers see a leak in consumer appreciation for their sustainable products. They want to share stories about their products; that is their passion. However, according to the food producers, stories get lost in the translation through intervention of many parties. While all food producers and chefs have different interpretations of sustainability, they have one thing in common: the need to share stories about local sustainable food products.

To discover whether consumers are open to storytelling in restaurants, in-depth research is conducted among eight participants. Exploration of a restaurant experience from the customers point of view, provides insights in how to enrich this experience.

All of the knowledge and insights are brought together in the Food for Thought toolbox. This toolbox contains multiple components that help chefs to create a storytelling concept for their restaurant. The Storytelling Guide gives chefs tips and examples to develop a storytelling concept. Next, the Restaurant Experience gives a deeper understanding of how guests experience a restaurant visit. With the Storytelling Template, chefs can get started themselves.

As icing on the cake, the toolbox includes an example of an end product that may result from using the toolbox. It is a card that can be given to guests when they leave the restaurant. The card should be accompanied by the ingredient of interest; in this example a pumpkin. When turning the card, the backstory is shown which involves a connection to the history of the Dutch food culture and De Tuin van Holland.