Martijn was born in 1987 in Purmerend and moved to Norway in 2011. For the first three months, he lived alone in Ringebu, and later his girlfriend joined him. Martijn had been in Norway in 2007 and 2008, when he worked in a big restaurant in Åndalsnes. He really liked the place and wanted to come back to Norway.

In the Netherlands, he was sales and production manager in a company that manufactured gutters in the centre of Amsterdam. He came to Norway because of new opportunities that were beyond his reach in other countries, particularly in the Netherlands. One factor was that Norway is sparsely populated compared to his homeland. He also believes that people can establish a quieter life with less stress in Norway. People in Ringebu are kind, and there is little jealousy between them. It is better to live among such positive people.

When he came to Norway in 2011, he worked in a restaurant in Ringebu that went bankrupt four months later because of tax problems. Martijn and his girlfriend decided to take over the restaurant and start their own business. The first months were difficult. He could not speak Norwegian, and there were sometimes problems in contact with suppliers.

He would like to stay in the Ringebu area. Now he rents a house, but he plans to buy a small farm with a big plot and enough space to keep animals for enjoyment, not for production.
What Martijn misses most is his family and friends in the Netherlands, but also Dutch food and flavours he remembers from childhood. But he thinks that it is important to get to know Norwegian culture, instead of importing Dutch culture to Ringebu.