Herman van Ham

Herman van Ham (16 April 1931 – 2 August 2012) was a Dutch head chef. He worked in the Michelin starred Hostellerie De Hamert, in Wellerlooi, the Netherlands, when it earned his stars in the period 1963-1989.

Herman van Ham
Born	(1931-04-16)16 April 1931[1] Nijehaske, The Netherlands
Died	2 August 2012(2012-08-02) (aged 81) Wellerlooi, The Netherlands[2]
Nationality	Dutch
Occupation	Chef
Employer	Hostellerie De Hamert
Known for	Michelin star
Successor	Bertus Liefting[3]
Partner	Riek Schoester
Children	1 son, 3 daughters

In 1952, Van Ham started working at De Hamert as an assistant. Soon after that he took over as head chef and stayed till his retirement in 1988.^[4]

Herman van Ham specialized in asparagus to such an extent that he had several nicknames related to this. He was named as De Ongekroonde Koning van de Asperge (Eng.:The uncrowned king of Asparagus),^[5] Asperge Paus (Eng.:Asparagus Pope)^[6] and Mister Asperge (Eng.: Mister Asparagus).^[7] One of his famous asparagus dishes was the "Cocktail Prins Alexander", a combination of chicken, asparagus and oranges, created in 1967 in celebration of the birth of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange.^[8][9]

After his retirement, Van Ham started collecting asparagus dishes. His collection went on display in Keramiekcentrum Tiendschuur Tegelen in 2012 under the name "Het keramische bedje voor de asperge." (Eng.: The ceramic bed for the asparagus.)^[10] Earlier, in 2008, his collection was on display in Aspergemuseum De Locht^[11]

Herman van Ham died on 2 August 2012, after an illness.^[12]

Awards

• Michelin star 1963–1988^[13]
• Prix d'Escoffier de l'Alliance Gastronomique Néerlandaise/Alliance-Escoffier Prijs: 1988^[14]
• Chevalier de Confrérie de l'asperge de Limbourgondie^[15]
• Eremedaille in goud Oranje Nassau^[16]
• Chevalier de Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.^[17]

Books

• Het aspergesboek : heerlijke gerechten met de koningin der groenten; Wiel Basten and Herman van Ham, M & P, 1989^[18]
• Het aspergeboek; Herman van Ham and Wiel Basten, Van Dishoeck, 2005^[19]
• Het aspergekookboek; Herman van Ham and Wiel Basten, Van Reemst, 1998^[20]