Remembering 'That Dutchman': N.S. cheesemaking legend was a fixture at Halifax market

Andrew Sampson · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 10, 2025 10:08 AM EDT | Last Updated: March 10

The stall astatine the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market wherever Willem van den Hoek stood for decades to hawk his family's artisanal food was conspicuously bare Sunday.

The shelves, usually filled with Gouda, Dragon's Breath bluish cheese and different products made astatine his household workplace successful Economy, N.S., were barren. 

All that remained were 2 bouquets of flowers laid by mourners, a printout of a Facebook station announcing his death, and a sympathy paper with the message: "The 'Cheeseman' volition unrecorded connected successful our hearts."

Van den Hoek, besides known arsenic That Dutchman, died past week aft a agelong illness. He was 76.

At the market, helium was a fixture who enjoyed sparring with his customers and his neighbours, playing devil's advocator successful discussions, and talking done each space of immoderate fixed situation. 

"He conscionable loved going done that process of considering different sides …  helium truly got a footwear retired of that," said his son, Cees van den Hoek, connected Sunday. 

"He wasn't frightened to stone the boat, oregon ruffle the feathers, oregon contention the presumption quo, that was decidedly him. I deliberation the food and the farmers' market, it gave him an accidental to bash that."

Moved to Canada successful 1970

With his woman Maja, van den Hoek started That Dutchman's Cheese Farm in 1980. 

The mates moved to Canada from the Netherlands successful 1970 to commencement a caller beingness abroad, earlier yet settling successful Economy, a assemblage adjacent Truro connected the North Shore of Cobequid Bay.

When they started making their authentic Dutch Gouda, they were up of the curve, shocking galore Nova Scotians whose thought of a bully food inactive didn't spell overmuch further than a crisp cheddar.

As the concern grew implicit the years — on with the appetite for artisanal-style food — the mates expanded their operations, opening an carnal workplace and quality parkland that visitors could tour, portion selling their products successful market stores and farmers' markets crossed the province.

But his begetter was ne'er successful it for the money, said Cees van den Hoek. Above each else, helium was a dreamer, ever keen to commencement caller projects, adjacent if helium didn't ever decorativeness them. 

"My begetter gave maine the optimism that you could marque thing work," helium said. "He ever said, similar successful the movie [Field of Dreams], 'If you physique it, they volition come' and that's true." 

In his absence, the concern volition unrecorded on. It's been managed for immoderate clip present by van den Hoek's daughter, Margaretha, and son-in-law and the stall astatine the marketplace is expected to reopen.

On Friday, a memorial for van den Hoek volition instrumentality place at the Peg successful Masstown astatine 1:30 p.m.

A reception — with cheese — volition follow.