Chefs

La Mouette is the dream realised of London-trained chef patron Henry Vigar. Henry sources the freshest local produce for his menu, which features, in particular, inventive fish dishes in a modern French cuisine style. His love affair with Cape Town began on a holiday in 2008. The scenery, climate and quality produce available motivated his decision to move to Cape Town in 2010 and open La Mouette

Hylton trained in wine making and then switched to cheffing. He grew up in St James by the sea outside Cape Town. He is inspired by the sea. His food philosophy is focused completely on sustainable and locally sourced ingredients. There are only green listed fish on his menus. His time cooking in the Rockies left its mark where he got to cook with Alaskan salmon and fresh scallops.

Hartford House was named in South Africa’s top ten restaurants four times during Jackie Cameron’s twelve years as the head of the kitchen, and won numerous awards under her guidance. She has recently left her position in order to open her own culinary school in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands, where she hails from. Her zest and zeal for SASSI is apparent and the sustainable values which earned her status as a SASSI Trailblazer will be taught to aspiring chefs at the Jackie Cameron School of Food and Wine, which opens its doors in 2015.

Chef Jamie Freidberg is head chef at Between Us, Cape Town. Her twin sister Jess is co owner of this eatery. Chef Jamie is a self taught cook. She has a passion for producing dishes that zing and flavour but in essence are simple. Born in Joburg, she takes sustainability very seriously, this runs right through her restaurant. As she says herself, “Sustainability needs to be at the center of all we do – it is the axis on which we individually and collectively must now pivot. Not incorporating it into our lives, in all aspects, is simply no longer an option. The necessity of the time demands it.”

Having grown up with a restauranteur mother and father who was a part time nature conservationist, working with sustainable seafood has always been a given. His favourite seafood is trout, hake and mussels.

It all started for Chef Jess Van Dyk when helping her grandmother skim simmering pots of jam in the kitchen. A graduate of the Silwood School of Cookery Jess went on to work at La Colombe and now heads up the kitchen at Protege in Franshhoek. Working with local suppliers is a key for Jess to drive the fresh and seasonal produce which aids her and her team to create culinary magic.

Her cooking philosophy is keeping it simple and use great produce. Jocelyn is Canadian and while in Toronto worked with Jamie Kennedy a pioneer in the organic food movement in Toronto. Jocelyn has been a bit of a globetrotter, she has chopped and stirred her way through Australia, London, France, Sardinia but Cape Town is where she has dropped anchor. This has been a 3 year journey for Jocelyn to become a Trailblazer.

John began experimenting with food at a young age, he would arrive home from school hungry and whip up an omelette – simply because he didn’t want to eat a peanut butter and jam sandwich! Over the years John worked his way up in the kitchen, from being a table runner, washing dishes, to chopping parsley; John made an effort to get to the top. In London, John worked under Chef Rhodes and was introduced to the notorious Gordon Ramsey – he often tells the tale of being locked in the freezer for three hours after he split a sauce one too many times. But he got out of that freezer and John is has developed a passion about food and the way that is brings people together, he is currently working at The Big Mouth in Sandton, Johannesburg where he has developed his drive for seafood, selling a lot of sustainable fish.

Jono has more than 20 years of cooking under his belt. He has honed his skills in South Africa, Ireland and the UK. His love of gastropubs has inspired and dedicated him to make honest uncomplicated good food, made with local ingredients. He strives to get the best possible supplies of green listed fish to dish up to his faithful followers.

Chef Judi Fourie, has been in the restaurant industry for the last 15 years. After graduating from Silwood School of Cookery she went on a culinary journey of exploration around the world to experience and experiment with flavours before she opened up her long-time dream her own restaurant in Cape Town. At Pilcrow & Cleaver, she takes up the role of executive chef and owner. For Judi it is imperative that the ingredients which end up on the plate at her restaurant are sustainable.

Growing up in Muizenberg, Julie was surrounded by fish as her father was a commercial fisherman. Julie’s father passed on his love and knowledge of the ocean which lead Julie to starting her own business – she set up a seafood stall at The Biscuit Mill. Her knowledge and concept was well received and to date she is known for having the best fishcakes in the city, made from a selection of SASSI green listed fish. Julie owns the Ocean Jewels which has been running for 12 years now, she also has a eatery in The Woodstock Exchange where you can go to enjoy a delicious seafood meal, or stock up on some fresh, great quality seafood. Julie only cooks and uses Green listed fish.

Kayla-Ann is a talented, dynamic chef who has always had a passion for cooking. “I always wanted to be in the kitchen from a very young age, right from the days I spent cooking with my Gran. I have been obsessed with food ever since. It was never really a choice I made, it was just what was going to happen”.  She is truly passionate about sustainability both personally and in her work in the kitchen. Her love of fresh, seasonal and locally sourced produce has driven her to create dishes that honour the flavours and textures of the ingredients. Her dedication and unique style saw her receive The Rising Star Award in the 2017 Eat Out Awards.