South Africa does not have the Michelin Star Restaurant rating system, because there are not enough Michelin tyres sold in our country, it is said.
Yet when travelling overseas, eating at Michelin one, two or three starred restaurants has an intrigue, because they appear to be far better than our own local best restaurants, which is not necessarily the case at all.
We are proud to have two South African chefs linked to two Michelin star restaurants: Chef Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen owns one star JAN Restaurant in Nice, awarded for the seventh time earlier this year, and Chef Jean Delport heads up the one star Restaurant Interlude at Leonardslee Gardens in the UK, the star having been awarded for three years running. Co-incidentally both chefs studied at the former Chefs School at Zevenwacht. Continue reading →
I was very excited about the year 2020, having the 20th as a birthdate, and it being my lucky number. Despite the tragedy of the Corona Virus pandemic and the inconvenience of the Lockdown regulations at times, 2020 turned out to be one of my best ever, learning from it and growing through it.
In 2015 I met Chef Kevin Grobler at JAN Restaurant in Nice, the now one Michelin star restaurant, a week after he had started working in South Afrca’s Best South African cuisine restaurant. He had left Delaire Graff Restaurant to join dynamic and creative Chef Jan-Hendrik at JAN, and last week he went full circle, in starting at Delaire Graff as Head Chef again. 
Whilst I wrote SwitchBitch 2 in Apricale in Italy last year, I saw JAN the JOURNAL Volume 1 lying in the Apricus Locanda B & B in Italy. I was intrigued by its look and feel, and content, knowing Chef Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen, Chef and co-owner of the one star Michelin restaurant JAN in Nice to be highly creative and meticulous in everything that he does.