In 2004, I interned at Kura Hullanda with Jacob Gelt Dekker. It was a great time, and I did a lot, but because of the busy schedule, I didn't enjoy Curaçao enough. That's why I immediately wanted to return to explore the island at my leisure. After my internship, I picked up my diploma in the Netherlands and returned immediately.

Luckily, I immediately found work as an assistant manager at Plein Café, and later became store manager, running the café together with Bas Kemna and Niek de Munck-Mortier. In 2005, I got an assistant manager, Taco Heidinga, and later that year, Danny van Meel applied. The three of us ran Plein Café together.

In March 2007, at the age of 21, I started running Plein Café Wilhelmina without Bas and Niek through a lease agreement with Danny van Meel. Taco continued at Goodfellas, now known as Eetcafé de Buren, the restaurant next to Plein Café. The transition from Bas and Niek to Danny and me happened very gradually. Bas continued to work with us and assist us initially. It was important that Plein Café remain what it was, and we succeeded. The goal was to nurture, maintain, and expand the concept. Plein Café should be a fun outing, with affordable and enjoyable prices. The terrace has grown from 10 tables to 37. Partly because of this, the kitchen has also become larger and much more modern.

Over the years, tourism has grown, the terrace has tripled in size, but many of the dishes remain exactly the same. Getting a perfect score is difficult, and maintaining one is even harder. So we focused on our guests. Meanwhile, you can watch major football matches and Formula 1 on the terrace. Sunday mornings are packed. The annex, which used to be a flower shop, is now an ice cream parlor. We still have a good, diverse mix of locals, tourists, and winter visitors from Europe.

When Plein Café opened in 1998, Punda was primarily a shopping district. It was lively and bustling during the day, with both locals and tourists. Especially on Saturdays, people were often seen eating and drinking on the terraces. The hospitality industry didn't benefit much from the occasional cruise ship tourists. In the evenings, it was deathly quiet, with a few chollers. Pietermaai was a run-down and abandoned neighborhood where the first interns were housed. Much has changed in Punda since then. Local shoppers have dwindled, but tourists have increased. The city has undergone a facelift, and Wilhelminapark has been completely renovated, featuring the now-familiar "Curaçao" lettering. Until a few years ago, there was a clear distinction between high and low seasons; now, that distinction has almost completely disappeared. It's high season year-round.

Plein Café's success lies in the unique character of its owners. They've all focused on the core of the business: the customer is king. A visit should be pleasant, welcoming, and friendly, with fast service and good, affordable products.

The best days at Plein Café are definitely Queen's and King's Days. We made those days a real party with music from DJ Tico and bands performing. Unfortunately, the party at Plein became so big that it couldn't be combined with the King's Day activities in Wilhelminapark. In 2014, we moved the stage to Café de Tijd, which Danny and I started in 2010. On King's Day, we now mainly offer guests a moment of peace and quiet: a chair, shade, snacks, and drinks. For me, Plein Café is simply what it should be, and maintaining that is quite a challenge.