‘I come from Apeldoorn, studied in Arnhem, worked at Viktor & Rolf in Amsterdam, tried to conquer New York, opened a shop in the nine streets in Amsterdam in 2011 and came to Rotterdam in 2013. I’ve seen plenty of cities, so I should know; Rotterdam is as cosmopolitan as it is village. When I came here, fellow shopkeepers on the Binnenweg such as Odile Hemmen and Anke van Caland/Schoen were quick to offer help. And my neighbour runs bakery Das Brot, he only works with sourdough. So delicious. My sandwich or sourdough croissant is waiting for me every day. Neatly packaged, with my name on it.’