Where science enters the kitchen
De Nieuwe Winkel opens DNW Lab for plant-based innovation
Nijmegen, 29 September 2025 – In a former orphanage, tucked away in the two-star restaurant De Nieuwe Winkel, you won’t hear the buzz of guests but the soft hum of cooling units and centrifuges. This is where the DNW Lab has opened: a new research space where chefs, scientists and farmers explore what the future of food might look like, and it’s firmly rooted in the plant kingdom.
The lab is an initiative by chef Emile van der Staak, who has been a pioneer for years at the crossroads of gastronomy, ecology and science.
“This is where we are allowed to make mistakes,” says Van der Staak. “Where things can go wrong. Because that’s how real progress happens.”
A blend of science and craft
In the Plant Lab, as the space is informally called, work is done in the same way as in an academic institute: with hypotheses, experiments and measured results. Two researchers with academic backgrounds lead the projects, but it’s not just about data. Taste, texture and smell are just as essential. By combining scientific methods with hands-on culinary craft, traditional techniques like fermentation and caramelisation are being re-examined and redefined.
From chestnuts to ancient roots
Several projects show just how creatively the Lab approaches plant-based innovation:
- Chestnut chocolate: Chocolate made without cocoa, using locally grown chestnuts that restore soil health and absorb carbon.
- Almond cheese: A savoury, dairy-free cheese alternative made from almonds grown to support biodiversity in Spain.
- Aardaker: A forgotten tuber, once common in Europe, now being brought back through careful cultivation.
In collaboration with the Southern Danish University in Odense, the Lab is also studying the microstructure of plant-based foods, investigating how fibres, proteins and fats determine texture, and how that, in turn, shapes how we experience flavour.
“By understanding plants better, we can create new flavours,” says researcher Georgios Erotokritou.
A new language of food
The DNW Lab is not about mimicking meat or creating vegan substitutes. It is a place where a new language of food is being developed, one that starts not with animals or machines, but with roots, seeds and leaves. “This is not a kitchen in the traditional sense,” says Van der Staak. “It is a place where gastronomy reinvents itself, because the plant kingdom holds the key to a resilient and delicious future.”
About the DNW Lab
The DNW Lab is part of De Nieuwe Winkel in Nijmegen and focuses on research and development of plant-based food. Its mission is to help shape a future where flavour, ecology and innovation go hand in hand.