I saw an Instagram Story by JAN Restaurant Head Chef Scott Armstrong this morning that the restaurant was awarded a Michelin Star for the sixth year running. Congratulations to Executive Chef and owner Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen and his team for this huge accolade, our country’s first South African owned restaurant to have been awarded a Michelin Star.
JAN restaurant was first awarded a one-star by Michelin in 2016, seven months after I ate at the restaurant for the first time. Since then it has been awarded a Star each year, making this the sixth year running that the accolade has been received. Continue reading →
In less than a week after the closure of Viande Restaurant, owned by Chef Pete Goffe-Wood, in a space he leased at the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl, Chef Kevin Grobler announced on Instagram that he is opening a new restaurant at the Hotel, and has been posting ads for new staff. The new restaurant will become The Restaurant at Grande Roche, and will open next month. 
The Restaurant industry is one of the hardest hit due to the Corina Virus in South Africa, having had to endure five weeks of complete closure, then restricted to Food Deliveries in May, allowed to offer Alcohol Sales and Food Collections during June, and now allowed to offer Sit-Down Service without on-site alcohol consumption since Monday 29 June. As an industry employing an estimated 800000 employees, the UIF and TERS problems it has had to endure in receiving (or not) staff payment has exacerbated the state of the restaurant industry, described by Chefs Warehouse Chef Liam Tomlin earlier this week as being reduced to nothing more than one of Coffee shops!
As a restaurant writer it is interesting to me to observe how our country’s leading chefs are coping with the Corona Virus lockdown. Ten out of ten to the chefs giving unselfishly to their communities. Less impressive are the chefs trying to raise monies for their staff or selling vouchers to cover their cash flows. Surprisingly few are using the captive audience of Lockdown diners to communicate with them!