Wouter & Helen

Hello, we’re Wouter and Helen. We’re a husband and wife team with a passion for food, drink and sustainability. Wouter, our chef patron, comes from The Netherlands, whilst Helen, director, is from Angus and introduced Wouter to the Scottish larder soon after they met in Amsterdam.

Rae’s aims to showcase the wealth and talent of producers (food and otherwise) in Angus and Aberdeenshire.

The inspiration behind Rae’s is Helen’s late mother, Jane. Jane lived with a lust for life and flavour, and was never afraid to try something new, be that crocodile or ostrich!

We believe in flavour, not borders. Truthfully, good food comes from all over the world and we don’t want to be constrained by a cuisine. However, we believe in using locally and responsibly sourced ingredients. As a young family, the future is very important to us.

About Rae’s

We want to bring great locally sourced, responsibly farmed, fantastic flavoured food, quite literally, to the table. We aim to showcase Scotland’s unbeatable produce.

Our Chef believes in getting the best out of every component of his dishes and strives to see his guests enjoying and being surprised by every flavourful bite.

Truthfully, good food comes from all over the world, and we don’t want to be constrained by a cuisine.

However, we believe in using locally and responsibly sourced ingredients. As a young family, the future is very important to us and we long to see the hospitality industry take some responsibility. Therefore, we strive to be the change we want to see.

We are working from the inspiration of “farm-to-table” concepts. We want to cut out the conglomerate middle men, and work, hands on, with local farmers and producers to get the best out of their products. We want this to be mutually beneficial and support local economy, and ultimately, improve the dishes we serve. Our chef aims to also grow some of our stock onsite or at home, where possible.

 

We don’t only want to showcase the local produce, but also local talent and community. For this reason, we want to be involved with local businesses and institutions, to support each other.