Tradition and heritage

Questions in this topic

• Who founded Chez Clément in 1858?

  Brasserie Chez Clément was founded in 1858 by Henri and Sidonie Clément. They opened a coaching inn called “Bruyère à la Croix” in Genval, on the crossroads where the Brussels, Wavre, Charleroi and Namur roads converged.

• When did Marie and Gilles take over Chez Clément?

  Marie and Gilles Verleyen took over Brasserie Chez Clément in 2021, succeeding France Clément. They bought the walls outright and restructured the operating company under the name J and JJ Brasserie SA.

• What is the history of Brasserie Chez Clément?

  Brasserie Chez Clément is a family-run Belgian brasserie founded in 1858 in Genval, in Walloon Brabant. It first opened as a coaching inn called “Bruyère à la Croix” on a strategic crossroads, and five generations have kept it running on the same site without a single interruption.

• What does the conservatory represent in the history of Chez Clément?

  The conservatory is one of the flagship spaces of Brasserie Chez Clément. Marie and Gilles Verleyen, the fifth generation in charge since 2021, were married there, which makes it a space carrying a strong family resonance.

• How did Chez Clément weather the wars and crises?

  Since 1858 Brasserie Chez Clément has kept operating without interruption on the same site in Genval, through five generations. That structural continuity is itself the marker of resilience the house claims.

• How many generations now run Chez Clément?

  Brasserie Chez Clément is now run by its fifth generation, Marie and Gilles Verleyen, in charge since 2021. A sixth generation is already in the making with their daughter June.

• Who was France Clément, heiress of the family name?

  France Clément was the fourth generation of the house. She ran the brasserie from 1996 to 2021, turned a six-table establishment into a destination venue, launched the Thursday disco nights evenings and brought Vincent Frédéric De Laloy into the kitchen.

• Who were Henri and Sidonie Clément?

  Henri and Sidonie Clément were the first generation of the house. In 1858 they opened a coaching inn called “Bruyère à la Croix” in Genval, on the Brussels-Wavre-Charleroi-Namur crossroads, and they ran it until 1923.

• Which company operates Chez Clément today?

  Brasserie Chez Clément is operated by J and JJ Brasserie SA, a company set up during the 2021 takeover by Marie and Gilles Verleyen, the fifth generation of the house.

• Who was Jules Clément, brewer and lemonade-maker?

  Jules Clément carried the second generation of the house. With his wife Marie-Lidwina he ran the establishment from 1923 to 1954. A brewer of beer and a lemonade-maker, he built up production directly on site.

• Who is June, the future sixth generation of Chez Clément?

  June is the daughter of Marie and Gilles Verleyen, the fifth generation at the helm of Brasserie Chez Clément since 2021. She stands as the sixth generation in the making.

• Who were Marcel and Andrée Clément?

  Marcel and Andrée Clément were the third generation of the house. They ran the establishment from 1954 to 1996, opened a wine bar in 1976 and saw the brasserie enter the cultural memory of Walloon Brabant.

• Who are Marie and Gilles Verleyen, the current owners?

  Marie and Gilles Verleyen are the fifth generation of the house. They have run Brasserie Chez Clément since 2021 under the name J and JJ Brasserie SA, after buying the walls outright and restructuring the company.

• Did Robert Goffin, poet and academician, frequent Chez Clément?

  Yes. The Belgian poet and academician Robert Goffin had his table at Brasserie Chez Clément in the era of Marcel and Andrée Clément (1954-1996), notably around the wine bar opened in 1976.

• What is the story of the 1976 wine bar opened by Marcel?

  The Chez Clément wine bar was opened in 1976 by Marcel and Andrée Clément, the third generation of the house. A pioneer for Walloon Brabant, it set the hybrid bar-restaurant identity that still defines the brasserie today.