Frequent diners at The Fearrington House Restaurant know the affable and attentive Dutch-born maitre d’, Joris Haarhuis. Joris just celebrated his 20th anniversary at Fearrington House – a pretty amazing feat, and just about a miracle in the hospitality world! I sat down with Joris to learn more about his time here and here’s what he said.
“I went to the hotel school in The Hague. To complete your degree, you need to do an overseas internship. At the time, my brother Bart was the food and beverage director at The Siena Hotel [in Chapel Hill] and he introduced me to Fearrington. I came here originally for only six months, and I did everything – cooked breakfast, carried bags, bused at the Restaurant, did turndown service – wherever I was needed. I stayed for a year and a half because I liked it so much. Then I went back home and graduated. A few months later [proprietor] R.B. [Fitch] called and asked if I wanted to come back. I said yes.”
After a few years at the Inn, Joris moved to the Restaurant, in his present capacity as maitre d’. Within a year, the Restaurant received its first ever AAA Five Diamond award, an honor it's held now for 17 consecutive years. We believe it's no coincidence!
“There’s a perception by some that we’re expensive and it couldn’t be further than the truth. If you go to other upscale restaurants, and add up the prices of the individual courses, you’ll come to about the same price as our three course fixed price menu. And we offer an experience beyond just the food – it’s the drink in the lounge, the wood-burning fire in the fireplace, the gardens, the extras like petit fours and amuse bouche. You’ll see people walking around the gardens with a glass of champagne before dinner, not feeling rushed.
"Most guests come here to celebrate special events like anniversaries, birthdays, and proposals. We want to make it a very special evening for them. We have professional wait staff; they recognize the importance of the dinner, take pride in their work and have an attention to detail. They recognize repeat diners, what their favorite drinks are, their food preferences. And they know how to read the table, to know if guests want their own space or want us to engage with them.”
Speaking of special events, one statistic Joris is particularly pleased with is, in fact, the acceptance ratio of wedding proposals. “We’ve had zero “nos” in the Restaurant during my time here. And over three hundred yeses! So men, if you need any ideas on improving your odds, give me a call.”
Among his most memorable diners are two couples who consistently travel together every year from Atlanta to see the Georgia Tech football team play either Duke or UNC. “They stay at the Inn and dine at the House. They’ve been coming ever since I’ve been here. Every year they say, “it’s always nice to see a familiar face” and “how are your dogs?” and then last month they were so excited when they saw my wedding ring.”
Now that Joris has spent half his life in the South – and especially since his marriage last month to Mebane native Julie Fleming – he says that while Holland will always be “home home”, Chapel Hill is now “home.”