De Swaen is a former restaurant

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

 located in Oisterwijk

Oisterwijk

- The city of Oisterwijk :Oisterwijk received city rights in 1230. Part of the municipality of Oisterwijk includes the 'Oisterwijkse bossen en vennen' and the 'Kampina'. Both are nature reserves of outstanding natural beauty. The reserves are owned and kept by the 'Vereniging Natuurmonumenten'...

, Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. The quality restaurant

Restaurant rating

Restaurant ratings identify restaurants according to their quality, using various notations such as stars or other symbols, or numbers. Stars are a familiar and popular symbol, with ratings of one to four or five stars commonly used. Ratings appear in guidebooks as well as in the media, typically...

, under the leadership of head chef Cas Spijkers, was awarded one or more Michelin stars. In the period 1984-1991 it was awarded 2 Michelin stars. The restaurant was awarded one star in the periods 1981-1983, 1992-1998 and 2002-2003.

Overview

Hotel De Swaen opened in 1978 after a major renovation. Owner Henk Aan de Stegge decided to give the exploitation in the hands of John van Dun and his head chef Cas Spijkers. Soon Spijkers was joined by chef Piet Rutten. In 1980 Van Dun left and Piet Rutten was promoted to director and front of house manager while Spijkers headed the kitchen. This combination proved successful, resulting on a Michelin star in 1981. After Spijkers stepped back as head chef, the restaurant lost his star. In 2001 Alan Pearson took over the role as head chef and he managed to win the star back. It was not enough to save the restaurant and it closed in 2004. In 2006 De Swaen reopened as "Brasserie De Swaen".