PROFILE

Restaurant OAK is probably the best restaurant in Ghent at the moment in the province of Oost-Vlaanderen in Belgium. Its owner and the chef, Marcelo Balladin, originally from Brazil with Italian roots, is a notable young chef who has gained experience in top European restaurants.

He started his career in culinary field at the London Cordon Bleu School.  His passion and enthusiasm brought him to, among others, 1 Lombard Street in London, Jan in Bruges, Geranium Copenhagen, Oud Sluis and Dinner by Heston in London. Marcelo was also a 'food developer' at Pure C in Cadzand to work out new dishes together with chef Syrco Bakker.

After having worked many renowned restaurants in Europe, he opened his own restaurant “OAK” in Gent. in 2014. Since the opening, the storm has been going on and Marcelo Ballardin has impressed his clientele with balanced creations that always have plenty of fun.

Marcelo cooks with seasonal, fresh ingredients and has developed a very personal style, excelling in combining flavors and textures in an impressive way, like local ingredients combined with Asian spices, mixed with Mediterranean herbs and a South American accent. In 2015, Gault & Millau honored Chef Marcelo as Young Chef of Flanders and he was chosen as one of the best at the Native Cooking Awards in Belgium.

In 2018, OAK restaurants gained 1 star in Michelin guide and Chef Marcelo won a Korean cooking battle called "Hansik Daechup" a famous TV program. Chef Marcelo is gaining more and more international recognition in recent years.

AWARDS
2018　Michelin 1star
2018　1st prize in Hansik Daechup, a Korean food battle
2016　Native Cooking Awards
2015　Gault＆Millau Belux Young Chef of Flanders