Many people said, “Cooking on TV is over.” They thought that there were already a lot of these kinds of shows,” Van Ven says in conversation with ANNP.
“The idea of the main channel at the time, in 2011, was still very new. Digital TV anyway. But with a small club we believed in it.” 24Kitchen had to become a channel where the show was broadcast several times a day, so you could watch it at different times. “When you want it, there’s always something about cooking or baking. It wasn’t there then. And it had to be accessible. Everyone had to be able to do it,” the chef explains of his ‘mission’. “Without entertainment around it. It is intended only for food and drink and its preparation.
Highlights
Looking back at the past ten years, Rudolph can name several highlights. The first is the first day aired on 24Kitchen, October 1, 2011. “On that day I cooked for twelve hours from twelve different countries. All the chefs were there, and it was a very good start,” he recalls. The moment celebrity TV chef Jamie Oliver joined 24Kitchen and signed a contract, was “very special” for Van Veen. “I would have understood better if he had chosen a bigger channel. But he believed in us. I found this to be a huge support and it was really a push in the back. We were still a very slim broadcaster at the time.”
In the 10 years that the channel has been in existence, 24Kitchen has gradually become “more flexible and robust,” according to Van Veen. “New chefs have been added, such as Miljuschka Witzenhausen, Hugo Kennis, Job & Perry and recently singer Karsu Dönmez,” he says. “They have a different way of cooking for the camera, and they choose different dishes. This variety is very beautiful. It also appeals to a different audience. It’s really not just for the elderly.”
Will Rudolph still work hard in the TV kitchen ten years later? “When I started ten years ago, I wasn’t planning this gig right away. It was a very long way to get it done, so I hope I can keep it going for a while.”
