News

CHEFS Foodhall, South Africa’s first owner-operated foodhall group, is excited to announce that award-winning restaurateur George Jardine has been appointed Culinary Director of the group and Executive Chef of the first of its market-style eateries.

With its first outlet launching in Cape Town’s Cavendish Square in early May, CHEFS Foodhall aims to revive the concept of the town square eating place, in line with emerging dining trends in Asia, North America, Europe and other markets. With seating for 400 people, the foodhall will offer a wide range of cuisines, along with a bar area and patisserie.

“We are thrilled to have someone of George’s caliber joining our team,” says Campbell Stevenson, Managing Director and Co-founder of CHEFS Foodhall. “His extensive experience and passion for locally produced quality food made him a perfect fit for this new venture.”

Scotland-born Jardine has won critical acclaim from London to Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Sydney and Cape Town, and is the Co-founder and Executive Chef of two institutions of the Cape Winelands – Jordan Restaurant and Jardine Restaurant.

Jardine will run CHEFS Foodhall’s Cavendish marketplace in partnership with his wife, Louise Jardine, and a number of key managers and chefs from Jordan Restaurant. The team will oversee a total staff complement of 50, including a number of young, budding chefs who will be trained so that they can pursue their own careers in time.

“CHEFS Foodhall is something new and exciting for Louise and me,” says Jardine. “Our approach to making quality food using sustainably sourced local ingredients will remain exactly the same – but we are now bringing our offering to more people, with faster service and a more accessible pricing point and location.”

Jardine says he will leverage the local supplier base he and his wife have built up over the past two decades in the greater Cape Town area.

They will draw inspiration from some of Jardine Restaurant’s famous dishes – including mussels and a braised short rib dish – and will also serve family favourites such as pizza, burgers, and fish & chips, alongside global dishes such as ramen, curry noodles, sushi and ratatouille.

“We are bringing a fine-dining mentality to the modern foodhall – every dish will be a signature dish,” Jardine says.

In cuisine hotspots such as New York and Lisbon, foodhalls have surged in popularity in recent years. This is partly being driven by the structural shifts underway in the restaurant industry, with rising input costs and fast-changing consumer habits testing the viability of the traditional eatery.

It is also being driven by a growing desire for spaces that promote socialisation and inclusivity, particularly amongst younger consumers.

“We believe that market-style eating is the restaurant of the future,” says Stevenson. “We will offer high quality yet affordable cuisine from a central space where local communities can gather and share experiences over great food.”