Chef Ype Von Hengst is co-founder and executive chef of Silver Diner and Silver New American Brasserie, a group of 22 restaurants located primarily in the Washington, D.C. region. Von Hengst has received many accolades for his creative, healthier menu items that use fresh and local products—especially his expanded kids’ menu. The Silver Diner Kids Menu has received national acclaim and has been a model that has been studied and reported on by Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in partnership with ChildObesity 180. Several top tier medical journals have run the Tufts study results on the benefits of Silver Diner’s Kids menu in influencing healthy eating.
Born in the Netherlands, Von Hengst received his training in some of Europe’s finest restaurants before coming to the U.S. Since that time, he has overseen more than a dozen premier restaurants in New York and Washington, D.C before co-founding Silver Diner, an award-winning restaurant chain much loved for it updated menu that features diner classics as well as healthier alternatives that include vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free menu items.
Von Hengst is a big proponent of improving children’s nutrition. He has partnered with several school districts in the Washington, DC area to educate culinary students and teachers about local sourcing and menu development, including creating vegan recipes for the Montgomery County, Md public school system, the 14th largest school district in the United States. He has been featured on numerous local and national television programs including Beat Bobby Flay, and Food Network’s Chopped, where he won and donated his winning to Doctors without Borders.