About me

My name is Candide. I love good conversations and good food! Tafelzaken (“Table matters”) grew out of my wish to combine the two in a way that truly helps people and organizations move forward.

My love for good food isn’t just about taste. When something is prepared with care, you can feel it. It invites you to bring the same attention to the conversation. A good meal shows: we take time for this conversation and for each other. For me, it’s a quiet form of care and connection.

As an interim program manager and team leader, I’ve spent years working on complex issues in government: topics like COVID, nitrogen policy, collective heating, victim support, and safety at the Ministry of Defence. These are dossiers with high stakes, heavy pressure, and often conflicting perspectives. What I’ve learned is this: when people truly talk with each other, space opens up. For insight, for connection, for decisions.

I believe that space emerges more easily when the atmosphere feels right. Not a meeting table. Not an agenda full of action items. But a well-set table, a pleasant atmosphere, and someone who provides both structure and freedom in the conversation.

People often tell me I can point things out sharply, without it feeling harsh. I think that comes from genuine curiosity, about the story behind the behaviour, the emotion behind the standpoint and from being able to switch easily between content, process, and emotion.

My involvement goes beyond the people at the table. I do this work because I believe real progress must be made while keeping an eye on people and their relationships.

I started Tafelzaken, but I work together with a network of people who - just like me - believe in the power of well-prepared conversations, attentive facilitation, and the connecting force of sharing a meal. Think of experienced mediators, change managers, coaches, and facilitators. The food too, is prepared with care: we collaborate with local caterers who cook with quality, care and a sense of atmosphere.

Depending on the request, we bring in the right people and tailor both the facilitation and the meal with attention.