Kerry Kilpin is the Executive Chef at Steenberg, in charge of both Tryn and Bistro 1682 restaurants on the wine estate. She was selected as one of the 2021 Cape’s Top 10 Women Chefs, and receives a bottle of Adhara Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Heading up one restaurant is a challenge in itself, but heading up two restaurants and that during a pandemic which affected the restaurant industry the most through its constantly changing Lockdown regulations regarding alcohol sales, operating hours, and restaurant capacity, reflects Chef Kerry’s strength as a manager as well as a chef.
We salute you Chef Kerry!
Restaurants and their customers celebrated the revised Lockdown regulations yesterday, permitting the sale of alcohol and the closing time moved to 22h00. It will be interesting to see which of the 20 restaurants which announced their closure in the past month, will reopen, six having reopened since yesterday.
From never having been to eat at Quentin at Oakhurst Barn in Hout Bay, I was lucky to be part of a group of friends who love it so much that I enjoyed one dinner and a Sunday lunch, offering Cape Country Cuisine, both in the same week, earlier this month. I was astounded at this restaurant gem, the best in Hout Bay but also the most hidden, tucked away in a little lane off the Main Road on the way to Constantia, the popularity of this restaurant based purely on word of moth reputation. 
A survey conducted amongst restaurants by the international hospitality Esus-Group, has found that many restaurants reopened for Lockdown Sit-Down Service from 30 June, as the date coincided with the end date of the Government paying employees UIF/TERS, restaurants therefore being forced to reopen to be able to pay their staff. Sadly this may lead to the death of the restaurant industry, as they are using valuable cash to run a business which now has a turnover of 20% of that of last winter, the study shows!