Some weekends are best spent away from it all. Good friends, honest food, no rush. Together with KEEN and chef Gabriël Verheij from Butter Boys Club, we escaped the city for a quiet stay at resort De Parel.
Gabriël brought four of his friends along, turning the peaceful setting into the perfect spot for an open-air dinner and a well-earned pause.
As a chef and host, Gabriël is known for creating warm, welcoming moments. His energy is effortless, and his food reflects that no fuss, no formalities, just intuitive cooking rooted in community. Whether it’s a pop-up dinner or a simple meal by the fire, his approach centres around honest flavours and real connection.
His journey into cooking started ten years ago, almost by accident. While working as a host, he was asked to help out in the kitchen one evening. Despite having no prior experience behind the stove, he took on the challenge and never looked back. That night sparked a new direction in his life, one that led him into professional kitchens and eventually to starting his own concept: Butter Boys Club.
Initially born from a small dinner club with friends, Butter Boys evolved into a platform where food, music and people come together. "It began with me experimenting at home with techniques I picked up at work,” Gabriël explains. “Someone jokingly called me ‘Butterboy’ and it stuck.”
Over time, Butter Boys Club grew into a pop-up and consultancy concept, a space where Gabriël serves the kind of food he loves, soundtracked by the music he wants to share. But recently, his vision has shifted. “I want to move away from being the centrepiece,” he shares. “Not the rockstar-chef in the spotlight, but a platform where multiple creative and talented people can collaborate. The blueprint is still forming but that’s the direction.”
That sense of evolution made Gabriël a natural fit for KEEN. The UNEEK sandal is built for transition: from chopping vegetables to kicking back by the fire. Functional, but far from traditional. Just like Gabriël’s approach to cooking.
While exploring the serene surroundings of De Parel, Gabriël and the crew wore their UNEEK sandals and prepared an outdoor dinner over open flames, dishes that reflected his story, his roots, and his growth.
This moment away from the city also marked a more personal shift. After experiencing a burnout, Gabriël has been redefining what success looks like. “I used to chase money and status. That burnout was an ego check, and I’m grateful for it. It reminded me there’s no rush. The goal now is to become a better person, and to let Butter Boys grow into something meaningful, something that adds value to the community.”
As the fire burned and the meal came together, the UNEEK and De Parel both proved to be the perfect fit, for the terrain, for the occasion, and for the kind of reset we all need sometimes.
“We’ve got time. We’re in no rush.”
