Elroy and Gaetano in Mijn Restaurant on VTM

This autumn Elroy steps out of the studio and onto television. Together with sommelier Gaetano Volpicelli he takes part in the new season of Mijn Restaurant, the VTM competition in which duos each run a restaurant of their own. Theirs opens on the Koning Albertplein, opposite Mechelen station, in the building that is normally home to Maillard. The name is still a secret.

The concept is fine dining with Italian hospitality. Elroy cooks, Gaetano pours the wine and looks after the guests. The two met at Fine Fleur, the starred restaurant in Antwerp where Elroy still works, and became close friends. Gaetano already chooses the wines for the My Personal Creations evenings.

Elroy did not start out in a kitchen. He trained as an electronics engineer and studied communication and multimedia design, until the housemates he cooked for pushed him to do something with it. An accelerated chef's training brought him to Antwerp for an internship in a starred kitchen, and he stayed.

Gaetano grew up in Naples, where his mother runs a small restaurant serving traditional Neapolitan food. That is where his love of wine began. He has worked in hospitality for fifteen years and is now an independent sommelier and wine consultant.

In Gazet van Antwerpen they describe themselves as opposites: Elroy calm and serious at work, Gaetano energetic and expressive. They also see the show as a test for a bigger dream, a small restaurant of their own.

Mijn Restaurant airs from 6 October on VTM and VTM GO.