From the kitchen of Mark den Hollander

Business was slow on Mark den Hollander’s first day at three-star Michelin restaurant Le Bernardin. COURTESY | MARK DEN HOLLANDER

Business was slow on Mark den Hollander’s first day at three-star Michelin restaurant Le Bernardin.
Starting on a quieter day was the only way to pick up the fast-paced, detail-oriented work of a place as skilled as Le Bernardin. Originally established in Paris and now also found in the heart of New York City, the renowned restaurant specializes in French seafood.
“It wasn’t very intense, but there’s so many moving parts,” den Hollander said. “I don’t know where I am; it feels like I’m in the middle of this jungle place.”
Currently a freshman at Hillsdale, den Hollander transferred to the college in spring 2023, pursuing an interest in education and politics. Before attending college, he spent years studying pastry and working as a chef.
“I love the skill and precision that’s involved. There’s just something so beautiful about having your own creation or being able to serve someone something on a plate that is cohesive. It’s art,” den Hollander said. “Through food, as with art, you’re sharing a part of yourself, but in something edible. You’re experiencing art on another level. You can look at art, at a painting, but you’ve never consumed it.”
In 2019, New York Eater reviewer Ryan Sutton described a dessert at Le Bernardin that had been stylized to look and shine just like a real apple.
“The feeling of cutting into fruit and finding cream is a dream that every child on earth should one day experience,” Sutton wrote.
Unique teamwork defined Le Bernardin’s kitchen, requiring staff to have each other’s backs while operating with technical expertise. According to den Hollander, “When Chef says something has to be right, it has to be done, now.”
“It’s at such a high level of stress, it really builds your character,” den Hollander said. “Everything has to happen and everything has to be perfect, all at the same time. It’s like a military setting.”
Den Hollander’s culinary education began in high school when he landed a part-time job in food service and first learned to make desserts for 50-some guests. With that experience piquing his interest, den Hollander decided to pursue the culinary arts.
He began a summer internship, making pastry as a line-cook and running shifts in the pastry chef’s absence.
“That was very, very interesting. I learned a lot. I thought, ‘Why don’t I take this seriously? Why don’t I go to school for this?’”
Le Cordon Bleu, a culinary school located in London, was his next step. It offered a pastry and confectionery education shorter than a four-year degree. Courses ranged from “specialized ateliers, basic through advanced levels of pastry and confectionery craft making, plated and boutique style desserts, world delicacies, and precise decorating techniques,” according to the website.
Den Hollander chose the school for its reputation, planning to learn the basics of modern pastry. After bolstering his education, he applied for a Canadian work permit and spent two years at the Norwich Deli and Bakery in Norwich, Ontario, managing pastry production.
“I left there because I just wanted to continue learning more, and I wanted to get to the higher end of pastry,” den Hollander said.
He landed closer to home in New Jersey, traveling into New York City to work at Le Bernardin.
Working under Thomas Raquel, Le Bernardin’s pastry chef and Jean Banchet’s 2014 Rising Pastry Chef of the Year, den Hollander grew familiar with the intensity of a well-respected restaurant’s environment.
“I got a better feeling of what I will do working in three-Michelin star restaurants like I had always wanted. I really enjoyed it,” den Hollander said. “But I was disconnected from what impact I wanted to have on others.”
Den Hollander said he began to question whether he was doing what God intended him to do. He worried about the physical consequences of spending years bent over a small pastry dish, plating desserts and placing garnishes.
His concerns led him back to an old eighth-grade dream of becoming a teacher, one that had stuck with him through years of culinary school and work experience. He decided to enroll in community college and pursue an undergraduate degree.
“Once I was there, I really got down, got into the books, and started studying,” den Hollander said.
During his transition back to academia, den Hollander grew frustrated with the school’s politically-charged curriculum.
“I was raised to be aware of what’s going on in society with secular education. A lot of things weren’t connecting for me,” den Hollander said. “In the literature curriculum, we were only talking about issues. We were not actually looking at specific works in literature.”
One professor worked with him in the honors research program to develop a capstone project. Den Hollander decided to look into what was behind his experience in the education system.
“I started to get a better understanding of some of the things that are wrong with secular education and how far they’ve gone since 50 years ago. It was through that research that I found Hillsdale,” den Hollander said. “I came here and visited, and I knew this was the place for me. You just feel it. You feel the love of learning.”
Director of Northeast Recruitment Lillian Carville was den Hollander’s admissions counselor. She said she knew from their first conversation that he would be an excellent fit for the college.
“Working with nontraditional students who have experiences outside of high school and have chosen college for a specific reason is always fun, but working with Mark was particularly impactful,” Carville said. “He has a real passion for education and a heart for learning. I think that he will really make a name for himself on campus, not just as an incredible baker, but as a great guy and a joyful student.”
After graduating, den Hollander plans to teach and get involved in politics.
“I really feel like if you want to be involved in one, you have to be involved in the other. We need to be helping those that are really meant to do what’s best for America,” den Hollander explained. “And that’s kind of how I see myself — being involved in organizations and lobbying against some large cultural shifts that are going on in society.”
Still, his passion for pastry isn’t going anywhere.
“Seeing the look on someone’s face when they’re totally taken aback by what they’re eating, that just does something to you,” den Hollander said. “Being able to bring together so many different flavors, textures, and colors at once, not limited to one dish at one time — it’s very, very unique.”