A flagship anchored in the port of Nice and flies the South African flag. Installed on the Côte d'Azur since 2013, the JAN restaurant is the flagship of the gastronomic group heated by chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen. He more accurately calls it “my mothership” because he is the one who makes it successful and allows his other establishments to exist.
JAN has been crowned with a star in the Michelin Guide for seven years. Bibendum researchers appreciate Jan Hendrik's subtle insight into South African cuisine. Why don't we go to JAN like we would go on safari. “There are no zebra skins or drums in my restaurant to indicate where it comes from,” warns the chef. We want to show the world that South Africa can be more sober and elegant than that. The country is not just about its wild animals. It is also rich in its different cultures. »
“Proudly South African”
The boss's takes root in a family African, this white minority from northern Europe. The dishes served at JAN tell in small touches the childhood of a boy raised on a farm in Middelburg, in the rural province of Mpumalanga.
O dried meat, This spicy dried meat that hangs from the ceiling of butcher shops is served powdered on a sandwich as an appetizer. Jan Hendrik also works on mekkos, a milk and cinnamon porridge. Where the bobotie meat pie, a sweet and savory mince served South African according to grandmother's recipe, or French style with foie gras and truffles.
Even though Jan Hendrik's cuisine (like his Niçoise salad) places a strong emphasis on French cuisine, Jan is “proudly South African”, as they say at home. Forget the champagne; the chef will offer you Méthode Cap Classique (MCC), a sparkling wine from his country. “If the guests are not snobs, they will realize that it is a very good wine,” he says. A sommelier from Zimbabwe, Loraine Magombo, will soon be on call to help them navigate the wine list. The proposed menu should go well with South African wines or herbal infusions, such as rooibos, fynbos or buchu.
Tourists and residents flock to JAN to board this air bridge that connects Cape Town to Nice. Critics enjoy the journey. “He takes diners into his South African world and seduces them with his love for the cuisine of Nice and the Riviera”, says Lionel Leoty, gastronomic critic at Petit Lu Gourmand.
“Michelin’s success and recognition have given me more authority to do what I want,” notes Jan Hendrik. “The star changed my life and that of my team, but it is very difficult. I have much more pleasure in my other restaurants”, he confides from the terrace of a large hotel in Johannesburg, where he passes before heading to one of his South African establishments.
In the Kalahari bush
At 40 years old, the chef guarantees that hunting for the stars is concluded. He prefers to focus on developing his group, which has 50 employees. He has just returned from a stay at Klein JAN (“little JAN”), a radical restaurant, lost in the middle of the Kalahari forest, in a luxury reserve. “The leaders there live like in a military camp because it is a very difficult place to get to and where it is also difficult to live. In terms of food, there is nothing! You have to find edible food, can it and store it in the pantry. You prepare your menu and suddenly it starts to rain or the wind blows everything away and there's nothing left. It’s an incredible challenge”, marvels the chef, who appreciates strong sensations.
Jan Hendrik then travels to Franschhoek, a wine and tourist town in the Western Cape. He oversees a seasonal restaurant on the La Motte property. He set up a large temporary table with 16 seats, where French-style South African dishes (soufflé, meringue, etc.) are served. Jan Hendrik adapts the recipes he invents in his television program broadcast on a private South African cable channel.
starseed
The Michelin Guide star put the chef into orbit and became famous. Your name and face are available on a wide range of derivative products: JAN O Jornal, a semi-annual review artistic AND LifestyleJAN Innovation Academy, online personal development and cooking courses, January online, a blog with recipes, stories and a store.
Is it by the distance we travel with the stoves that we recognize a great chef? “I'm not a traditional chef, I do a lot of other things”, argues Jan Hendrik. the man is a story teller and gastronomy is one of its means, like photography, fashion, decoration or writing. Michelin standards will not be your prison, star wars are not your obsession. “Nobody has the right to assign you to the kitchen”, he professes that freed.
