The restaurant's first owner and head chef was Jaap Klosse, who made full use of the location on the edge of the Royal Game Reserve Het Loo. Considered a "delightful restaurant" and one of the "best restaurants" in the Netherlands, it was named after an "echoing well" where people traveling by obtained water for their horses. The building has the appearance of a hunting lodge and the restaurant specializes in seasonal game dishes, such as venison, boar and fowl. Theus de Kok has led the kitchen since 1974, first as head chef, later as executive chef-maitre. In June 2010, Leendert Scholtus took over the kitchen from Chiel Dohmen. In February 2014, Scholtus announced that he would leave De Echoput to start his own restaurant. His successor will be Peter Paul van den Breemen, former owner and head chef of Het Jachthuis Hoog Soeren, who starts at 1 April.
The original restaurant was closed and demolished in 2004. Peter Klosse, son of the founder and owner of the complex since 1985, replaced it with a hotel and restaurant. They celebrated the reopening by winning the International Restaurant Awards category Best New Restaurant of the Year/Luxury Restaurant.
Michelin star history
- 1971-1984: one star
- 1985-1989: two stars
- 1990-1997: one star
- 1998-2001: no stars
- 2002-2004: one star
- 2005-2011: no stars
- 2012: one star
According to several sources, the restaurant was already awarded a Michelin star from 1967. The Michelin Guide does not give any evidence of this.
↑Jansen, Will (2007). Culinaire grootmeesters. Het heilige vuur van twaalf topkoks (in Dutch). Utrecht: Uitgeverij Het Spectrum. pp.99–104. ISBN9789027455314.
↑Kok, Richard (3 May 2010). "Nieuwe chef-kok voor De Echoput"[New head chef for De Echoput]. Misset Horeca (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 March 2014. (subscription required)
↑Roemaat, Bianca (10 February 2014). "Chef Echoput* vertrekt en begint voor zichzelf"[Head chef Echoput* leaves and starts own restaurant]. Misset Horeca (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 March 2014. (subscription required)
↑Brandligt, Vivie (19 June 2007). "Historisch overzicht Michelinsterren"[Historical overview Dutch Michelin stars 1991-1996]. Misset Horeca (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2013.