Last week the Luxe Restaurant Awards winners were announced by the Hospitality Counsel, a little-known industry body.Chef Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen was the king of the Luxe Awards, his two month old Restaurant KLEIN JAN named Restaurant of the Year, and Chef Jan-Hendrik named Chef of the Year. The Chef also won the Culinary Pioneer Award. This is the first official recognition of a restaurant of Chef Jan-Hendrik in South Africa, already having scooped one Michelin Star for his JAN Restaurant in Nice for six years running.
I requested Eat Out a number of years ago that Chef Jan-Hendrik and his one-star Michelin JAN Restaurant be included in our local restaurant awards, in the number one slot, for his dedication to South African cuisine, and for his cuisine creativity.
https://www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog/cape-town/chef-jan-hendrik-van-der-westhuizen-finally-opens-his-restaurant-klein-jan-in-the-kalahari-most-expensive-restaurant-in-sa/
While the Eat Out Restaurant Awards have been criticized for years in being Cape dominant, one can criticise the Luxe Awards for being Gauteng-focused. Only four Luxe Restaurant awards went to Western Cape-based Restaurants. One of them oddly is The Test Kitchen Burgers, not a known restaurant name. Test Kitchen Fledglings serves burgers but under the Fledglings name. Truth Coffee, Joseph Dhafana of La Colombe, and Wolfgat were the only other winners in our province.
The Hospitality Counsel is described as a Management Consulting firm serving the Hospitality Sector, guiding companies in improving their sustainability and growth. The company awards Luxe Travel Awards too. Not much more is known about the company.
BizCommunity has provided details of the 23 Restaurant award winners, selected out of a list of 100 shortlisted nominees:
- Restaurant of the Year: Restaurant Klein Jan
- Chef of the Year: Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen
- New Restaurant of the Year: Embarc Restaurant
- Style Award: TANG
- Culinary Icon Award: Chef Nti
- Culinary Media Personality of the Year: The Lazy Makoti
- Culinary Rising Star: Tumi Mogoai
- Culinary Pioneer Award: Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen
- Sustainability Award: Wolfgat
- Service Excellence Award: Marble
- African Restaurant of The Year: Qunu
- Bistro of the Year: Nova Bistro
- Burger Bar of the Year: The Test Kitchen Burgers
- Coffee Shop of the Year: Truth Coffee
- Ethnic Restaurant of the Year: Peachy
- Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year: Basalt Restaurant
- Food Truck of the Year: Eighty8’s Food Co.
- Franchise of the Year: Soul Souvlaki
- Hotel Restaurant of the Year: AURUM
- Lifestyle Restaurant of the Year: Solo Restaurant
- Pizzeria of the Year: Ciao Pizza
- Pop-Up Experience of the Year: Candice Philip at Basalt
- Wine Service Award: Joseph Dhafana
As Eat Out has not announced its plans for its Restaurant Awards for 2021, and didn’t host them last year, the Luxe Restaurant Awards are the only current benchmark for our top Restaurants.
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
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