The Cape and therefore South Africa has garnered most top Restaurant awards in Africa at the World Culinary Awards 2022. The winners were announced in Dubai last night.
La Colombe in Constantia was named Africa’s Best Restaurant 2022, while Utopia Cape Town received the honour of being named Africa’s Best Rooftop Restaurant 2022. It is the second year running for both restaurants to win their respective categories. Continue reading →
Cape Town and the Winelands is experiencing a restaurant boom, with new openings currently as well as openings announced for 2023.
The biggest restaurant opening extravaganza is that of JAN Franschhoek, the third restaurant in the JAN Restaurant Collection, opening at La Motte in Franschhoek. La Motte is undergoing a major renovation and changes at its wine estate, with a Bread-related Café & Deli opening in the La Motte Manor House in February 2023. Chef Chris Erasmus is working with La Motte as a consultant, until February. He is going overseas thereafter. Chef Peter Tempelhoff opens his third restaurant next week, a Japanese Street Food restaurant Ramenhead. Chef David Higgs has announced opening Continue reading →
At the Eat Out Awards last week the Marble Group announced that it is to open Marble in Cape Town in 2023. This follows deluxe Sandton restaurant Tang opening in the Waterfront shortly. The move of these two top restaurants confirms the dominance of Cape Town as the Gourmet Capital of South Africa.
One star Marble restaurant is headed up by Chef David Higgs, once Executive Chef of Rust & Vrede, and resulting in the restaurant becoming the number one restaurant in the country. Soon thereafter Higgs packed his bags and left the Cape, to open Marble. Saint and The Pantry opened subsequently, and make up the Marble Group. Continue reading →
About six years ago, when Chef Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen launched his JAN series on Showmax, I asked him when he would open a branch of JAN Restaurant in Cape Town or in the Cape. He was evasive in answering at the time.
After opening KLEINJAN Restaurant at Tswalu Game Reserve a year ago, and his JAN Innovation Studio in Cape Town, Chef Jan-Hendrik has finally Continue reading →
The Eat Out Restaurant Awards were held for the first time in three years today, an eagerly awaited event, given the impact of the Lockdown on the restaurant industry, and the change in the restaurant awards system, restaurants no longer ranked, but rated with 1, 2 or 3 stars.
It was a surprise to read a year ago that Eat Out would reintroduce its Awards this year, and that Abigail Donnelly was heading up the judging for the awards again, after an absence of a number of years. Continue reading →
This weekend my resignation from Zest in July has made news in the Restaurant industry.
To date I have not written about how disrespectfully I was treated by Zest, hoping that some degree of decency would prevail by its so-called ‘owner and operator’ Chef Pavel Dimitrov. I referred the matter to the CCMA, as I have not been paid outstanding compensation, and in the proceedings I was treated with the utmost disrespect by the labour relations consultancy representing Zest.
I have decided that the time is right to tell my story, and that of abused Zest staff too!
Last month Chefs Zunia Boucher-Myers and Melanie Paltoglou of Avontuur Restaurant were named as 2022 Top 10 Women Chefs in the Cape.
It was a lucky month for the two chef owners, whose Avontuur Restaurant was also named as Best Date Night Restaurant in the KFm 30 Best in the Cape.
The Top 10 Women Chefs in Cape Town and the Winelands were announced on Women’s Day. Each winner receives a 1 litre tube of Rio Large Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Continue reading →
Isabella Niehaus of Langtafel op die Duin in Langebaan is one of our 2022 Top 10 Women Chefs, and has received this accolade for the third year in a row.
Congratulations Bella.
The Top 10 Women Chefs in Cape Town and the Winelands were announced on Women’s Day. Each winner receives a 1 litre tube of Rio Large Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
For the third year running we are acknowledging female chefs heading up restaurant kitchens in Cape Town and the Winelands.
Started during Lockdown in 2020, as a celebration of Women’s Day, the Top 10 Women Chefs List highlights how few top restaurants have female chefs in their kitchens in general, and even fewer have women chefs heading up the restaurant kitchens.
We are grateful to Brenda Wilkinson of RIO LARGO Olive Estate for sponsoring a gift of its beautiful colourful Extra Virgin Olive Oil packs to our Top 10 Women Chefs. Continue reading →
Women’s Day has been celebrated in South Africa on 9 August since 1995, and is an official public holiday.
The day commemorates the 20000 women who marched on the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956, to protest the extension of Pass Laws to women, which controlled women even further and reduced them to passive beings, at the mercy of men.
This year the theme of Women’s Day is ‘Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights for an Equal Future’. The day draws attention to the issues African women face, such as parenting, domestic violence, unequal pay, and schooling.
The celebration of women on one day only has grown to all of August being celebrated as Women’s Month.
As the rights of women have grown, many local women have climbed up corporate, political, academic, and Government ladders. These are some of them:
#. Helen Zille: Former Mayor of Cape Town and Premier of the Western Cape.
#. Professor Thuli Madonsela: former Public Protector, and current Law Trust Chair for Social Justice Research at the University of Stellenbosch
#. Nicky Newton-King, the first woman to run the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
#. Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town.
#. Dr Elmi Muller, organ transplant pioneer
#. Dr Mosadi Mahoko, award-winning plastic surgeon specialising in cleft lip and palate reconstruction surgery.
# Dr Glenda Gray, CEO and President of the SA Medical Research Council.
# Ministers Angela Thokozile Didiza, Maisie Angelina Motshekga, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Thandi Ruth Modise, Barbara Dallas Creecy, Mmamoloko Kubayi, Dr Naledi Pandor, Maite Emily Nkoana-Mashabane, Patricia de Lille, Lindiwe Sisulu, in the SA Government.
Women are still not receiving equal pay in many professions and jobs, and it is time that this gender discrimination be put an end to. They also do not receive equal opportunities in employment, and career advancement.
Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whaletalesblog.com www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein, My Cape Town Guide/Mein Kapstadt Guide, Instagram: @Chrissy_Ulmenstein @MyCapeTownGuide