In memoriam Jan Westerhoff senior

This week we received the sad news that our former jury member of the well-known tap competition Groningen has passed away.

On behalf of myself and the entire team at Horecagroningen.nl, we wish the family, friends, former colleagues, and acquaintances much strength during this great loss.

Joris M. van Berkel
(organizer/owner Tapwedstrijd & Horecagroningen.nl)

For more than thirty years, Jan Westerhoff stood behind the bar of the eponymous establishment together with his wife Janny. cafe on Oosterhoogebrug. Two years ago, he was diagnosed with an incurable disease.

Jan Westerhoff passed away last week at the age of 74 and was cremated in private. A handful of friends and acquaintances were allowed to attend the ceremony. A respected hospitality entrepreneur who not only served his own business but also meant a great deal to the industry and the hospitality profession.

Westerhoff was a board member of the local hospitality union Ons Belang for many years. A precursor to what is now Royal Dutch Catering Association called. Together with legendary pub owners such as Koos Kuiper, Roelof Posthumus, and Arnold de Lange, he visited colleagues in the sixties and seventies to promote membership of the trade association.

Westerhoff is even better known for his enthusiasm and dedication during the beer tapping competitions that were held annually at the Het Tehuis convention center on Lutkenieuwstraat. The participants and spectators attached great value to the judgment of juror Westerhoff.

He resumed that role when, after a long period of silence, the tap competitions returned to the city. It is striking that his son, who goes by the name Jan junior, displays the same passion. He, too, considers it important to raise the quality of the hospitality profession to a high standard alongside the demanding life of a pub owner and to judge young beer tapsters.

It was a sad event that brought Jan Westerhoff to the café in Oosterhoogebrug at the young age of 24. His father, Jan, passed away at a young age in 1965, and two of the three sons showed no interest in the hospitality business. Together with his wife Janny, Jan brought the café, with its village atmosphere, to great prosperity. The couple continued running the café (established in 1830) until 1998.

Photos: Fotograafniels.nl ©
Via source: Dvhn.nl