Remembering 'That Dutchman': N.S. cheesemaking legend was a fixture at Halifax market
The stall at the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market where Willem van den Hoek stood for decades to hawk his family's artisanal cheese was conspicuously empty Sunday.
The shelves, normally filled with Gouda, Dragon's Breath blue cheese and other products made at his family farm in Economy, N.S., were barren.
All that remained were two bouquets of flowers laid by mourners, a printout of a Facebook post announcing his death, and a sympathy card with the message: "The 'Cheeseman' will live on in our hearts."
Van den Hoek, also known as That Dutchman, died last week after a long illness. He was 76.
At the market, he was a fixture who enjoyed sparring with his customers and his neighbours, playing devil's advocate in discussions, and talking through every angle of any given situation.
"He just loved going through that process of considering other sides … he really got a kick out of that," said his son, Cees van den Hoek, on Sunday.
"He wasn't scared to rock the boat, or ruffle the feathers, or contest the status quo, that was definitely him. I think the cheese and the farmers' market, it gave him an opportunity to do that."
Moved to Canada in 1970
With his wife Maja, van den Hoek started That Dutchman's Cheese Farm in 1980.
The couple moved to Canada from the Netherlands in 1970 to start a new life abroad, before eventually settling in Economy, a community near Truro on the North Shore of Cobequid Bay.
When they started making their authentic Dutch Gouda, they were ahead of the curve, shocking many Nova Scotians whose idea of a good cheese still didn't go much further than a sharp cheddar.
As the business grew over the years — along with the appetite for artisanal-style cheese — the couple expanded their operations, opening an animal farm and nature park that visitors could tour, while selling their products in grocery stores and farmers' markets across the province.
But his father was never in it for the money, said Cees van den Hoek. Above all else, he was a dreamer, always keen to start new projects, even if he didn't always finish them.
"My father gave me the optimism that you could make anything work," he said. "He always said, like in the movie [Field of Dreams], 'If you build it, they will come' and that's true."
In his absence, the business will live on. It's been managed for some time now by van den Hoek's daughter, Margaretha, and son-in-law and the stall at the market is expected to reopen.
On Friday, a memorial for van den Hoek will take place at the Peg in Masstown at 1:30 p.m.
A reception — with cheese — will follow.
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