The boss

Hans Goossens, founder of OFYR, from Laren in the Netherlands

The business

OFYR is an outdoor cooking concept centred around a round wood-fired plancha. OFYR is not just about grilling but also very much about real cooking.

OFYR units, accompanied with the extensive range of accessories, can handle meat and fish, but they are also very good at dealing with vegetables and wood-fired pizzas.

It is social cooking too, as chefs become friends and friends become chefs, with OFYR very popular with both private individuals and the hospitality industry. Our products can now be found in over 100 countries.

The influence

My first experience was a traditional Weber barbecue in the 1970s. But I really got triggered by outdoor cooking when I started to develop the wood-fired plancha idea.

The equipment

Although we have a huge range of accessories, simply cooking on the plancha is my clear preference and with meat you create a great Maillard reaction.

You can create temperature zones, the surface is huge, and you can cook many dishes at the same time. The plate is also very easy to clean with the spatula.

The meal

Celeriac chips to serve as canapes, followed by avocado with Romesco sauce as a starter. Then I’d have squid tentacles with aioli.

My desserts would be pineapple with vermouth and rosemary, or, my absolute favourite, strawberries with Pedro Ximenez basil and pepper.

The next big thing

‘Garden chefs’ are continuously widening their scope. They are interested in different cooking techniques like the plancha from OFYR, but also the Kamado technique has become very popular.

OFYR offers pieces of furniture in the same style that can house different cooking devices. A growing trend is the entire kitchen being brought outdoors, with OFYR launching its Cozinha outdoor kitchen design.