10 fun facts about The Dutch Eatery & Refuge

Main Gate Square restaurant The Dutch Eatery & Refuge is celebrating their second anniversary on Wednesday, May 1.

To help commemorate The Dutch’s milestone, we’ve compiled a handful of fun facts for your enjoyment:

1. Executive chef Marcus van Winden is Dutch and also from Holland.

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2. The Dutch’s anniversary is also the wedding anniversary for Marcus and Nicole van Winden.

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3. Sonoran Snoballs provided Louisiana-style snowballs at their wedding.

4. Nicole’s great grandfather, Donald Leonard opened a drive-in chicken joint on South Fourth Avenue called the L&L in 1948. Four years later, it started serving Mexican Food and became Guillermo’s Double L when her grandfather Bill Ford took over.

5. Marcus and Nicole met on Holland America Cruise Line.

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6. Before opening the Dutch, the two ran the Holland Hotel in Alpine, Texas.

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7. One of Marcus’ most challenging jobs was as the chef de partie patisserie at Inter Scaldes in the Netherlands, which had two Michelin stars at the time (it has three now). No talking or noise was allowed in the kitchen.

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8.  Several Dutch items in the menu can’t be found elsewhere in Tucson, such as the Patat Oorlog.

9. All of the Dutch items on their menu are made in house. Marcus tests recipes until he is able to recreate the authentic Dutch taste; the frikandel took a year to perfect before it was added to the menu.

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10. In 2019, the Dutch created the Poffertjes Bike for fundraisers and events. They opted to create their mobile cafe on a traditional bakfiets, because “there’s nothing more Dutch than a bike!”

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The Dutch Eatery & Refuge is located at 943 E. University Blvd. For more information, visit thedutchtucson.com.