How Some of Our Favourite Chefs Celebrate The Festive Season

Words: Jess Spiro

Christmas in Cape Town must be one of the busiest, most frenetic times of year for everyone. The tourists are out in full force, some people are trying to get Christmas shopping done, while others are just trying to close up business for the year. All of these overworked, tired people have to eat – and they do, at some of the country’s best restaurants. What does this generally festive time mean for our beloved chefs? Mostly work, with a little play in between. We get chatting to some of them to find out about their Christmas season plans.

Ash Heeger, Ash Restaurant.

Crush: Christmas is always a busy time of year in the restaurant industry, will you be taking any time off this year? How will you be celebrating Christmas?

Ash: It is busy but the centre of town becomes a little bit like the Twilight Zone. We have decided to close the restaurant over Christmas and New Year this year. This gives our staff (and us) some much needed rest and relaxation over the festive season. I’ll personally be celebrating Christmas with my family in Greyton this year, after which I plan on flying off to a remote island, somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Once there, I’ll light a large bonfire and burn both my phone and my passport. Kidding. I’m only escaping for a few (much needed) days.

Crush: What is your favourite Christmas Day dish?

Ash: I’d say probably a full roast. A little out of place in the middle of the summer heat, but roast lamb shoulder with roasted potatoes, mint sauce, a few salads and some gravy is pretty hard to beat.

Crush: What is the best part about a South African Christmas?

Ash: It’s probably the only time that my mom makes Grasshopper Pie and Trifle. I’m the only one that eats the trifle but… she makes it just for me. Yes, I am a spoilt brat.

Crush: Do you have any clever tips for using up leftovers after the Christmas feast?

Ash: Sandwiches… I’ve made some pretty mean sandwiches using nothing but leftover cuts of roasted meat, mint sauce and gravy. Nothing better on Boxing Day than some cold meats.

Crush: What will you be drinking this festive season?

Ash: All of the bourbon.

ASH will be closed from the 24th of December until the 5th of January.

ashrestaurant.co.za | Facebook | Twitter


Emma Hofmans, Hallelujah.

Crush: Christmas is always a busy time of year in the restaurant industry, will you be taking any time off this year? How will you be celebrating Christmas?

Emma: I am fortunate enough to be on holiday over Christmas and New Year. This year, I am going home to Switzerland to spend Christmas with my family in the mountains! Fingers crossed for snow.

Crush: What is your favourite Christmas Day dish?

Emma: Stuffing. A delicious, homemade pork sausage and chestnut stuffing. I mean, I love everything at Christmas but this is one thing I don’t eat during the rest of year.

Crush: What is the best part about a South African Christmas?

Emma: Going to the beach on Christmas Day. Enjoying Christmas dinner outside. Braaied gammon.

Crush: Do you have any clever tips for using up leftovers after the Christmas feast?

Emma: Sandwiches. Leftover sandwiches are one of the best parts of Christmas dinner! A few years ago, I also made a Christmas leftover turkey pie. Literally took all of the leftover vegetables (and stuffing!), shredded the turkey, put it all into a delicious bechamel and topped it with puff pastry. It was incredible.

Crush: What will you be drinking this festive season?

Emma: If I’m not drinking Vin Chaud (mulled wine), I will be drinking bubbly!

Hallelujah’s last night of trade in 2016 will be Friday, 16th December. We are re-opening on Wednesday, 4th January.

hallelujah.com | Facebook 


James Gaag, La Colombe

Crush: Christmas is always a busy time of year in the restaurant industry, will you be taking any time off this year? How will you be celebrating Christmas?

James: Christmas is always a hectic time in the restaurant industry. One lucky thing for me is that being German, I celebrate on the 24 December. This means that I’m very lucky to be able to celebrate with my family and friends every year, but it does mean that I work every single Christmas Day at La Colombe. We usually have a big family get-together with a lot of food and wine every year. There are 3 chefs in my family and a hell of a lot of ‘foodies’, but somehow I always end up cooking the turkey. After lunch service on Christmas Day, I spend the evening with my girlfriend, Tracy, and her family and enjoy a second Christmas.

Crush: What is your favourite Christmas Day dish?

James: My favourite christmas dish, although I don’t have a sweet tooth, is my mom’s frozen christmas pudding – pretty much all the ingredients from a traditional pudding, worked into home-made vanilla ice cream. But it is hard to beat a nice turkey done on the braai or a proper gammon.

Crush: What is the best part about a South African Christmas?

James: Obviously the weather! Being able to sit outside in a t-shirt and shorts in beautiful Cape Town is a massive plus. I do often miss the Christmas-ey feeling that snow brings with it though.

Crush: Do you have any clever tips for using up leftovers after the Christmas feast?

James: Christmas leftovers make for the best Dagwood sandwiches. I suppose it all depends on what you have as well, but we generally have an absolute feast the following day.

Crush: What will you be drinking this festive season?

James: Glühwein is a must, coupled with a few special wines. I also have a very nice De Toren that will definitely be opened that evening.

La Colombe will remain open during the festive period, with specific set menus on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.

lacolombe.co.za | Facebook | Twitter


Kirby Auret and Wynand van Rooyen, The Woodlands Eatery.

Crush: Christmas is always a busy time of year in the restaurant industry, will you be taking any time off this year? How will you be celebrating Christmas?

Kirby: Having worked every Christmas for the past 6 or so years, we have decided to close the restaurant for this time. Knowing how grumpy staff (and ourselves) get because we are not celebrating like everyone else just doesn’t seem worth it. So this year Woodlands will be closed! We are going to be cooking up a storm with our families. That’s what it is all about, family, food and copious amounts of wine!

Crush: What is your favourite Christmas Day dish?

Kirby: Slow roast lamb shoulder on the braai.

Wynand: Sweet tongue… done in the old school way with a sweet mustard sauce, made by my Granny.

Crush: What is the best part about a South African Christmas?

Wynand: Probably that a braai is a necessity and just adds more ‘gees’ to the whole day.

Crush: Do you have any clever tips for using up leftovers after the Christmas feast?

 Kirby: All you need are fresh rolls… then anything goes… somewhat of a Christmas gatsby. Otherwise, homemade pies are also a good idea and freeze well too.

Crush: What will you be drinking this festive season?

Kirby: I’m going through a big Pinot Noir phase… something chilled in this heat!

Wynand: Loads of bubbly!

The Woodlands Eatery will be closed from the 24th of December to the 3rd of January.

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Pieter de Jager, Leopard’s Leap

Crush: Christmas is always a busy time of year in the restaurant industry, will you be taking any time off this year? How will you be celebrating Christmas?

Pieter: Yes, we are seriously blessed to work for a company that believes in giving their staff off on all christian holidays, so we will be taking 4 days off over Christmas. I’m going to take it as easy as possible, take my wife and son to the beach and definitely kick a ball or two.

Crush: What is your favourite Christmas Day dish?

Pieter: Peri peri prawns with tomato rice and a plain Portuguese onion and tomato salad with a little bit of Danish feta.

Crush: What is the best part about a South African Christmas?

Pieter: The family time, the food and the spirit of realising how blessed we are that Christ came.

Crush: Do you have any clever tips for using up leftovers after the Christmas feast?

Pieter: Leftover meat makes wonderful bitterballen/croquettes as a snack for everyone. Think cold – you can fit ANYTHING between two slices.

Crush: What will you be drinking this festive season?

Pieter: Definitely Leopards Leap Classic Chardonnay Pinot Noir for those long lazy lunches.

Leopard’s Leap will be closed on Christmas Day.

leopardsleap.co.za | Facebook | Twitter


Rudi Liebenberg, The Mount Nelson

Crush: Christmas is always a busy time of year in the restaurant industry, will you be taking any time off this year? How will you be celebrating Christmas?

Rudi: We celebrated Christmas in July with all our family while taking our annual holiday. Next year we will do the same.

Crush: What is your favourite Christmas Day dish?

Rudi: Christmas pudding with brandy sauce.

Crush: What is the best part about a South African Christmas?

Rudi: We can braai!

Crush: Do you have any clever tips for using up leftovers after the Christmas feast?

Rudi: I love making sourdough, and then making the mother-of-all sandwiches with all the leftover scraps the next day, plain or toasted with lots of cheese. When I first started in the kitchen, we turned all the roasts not used in sandwiches into the most amazing combinations of chicken, lamb and stuffing, raviolis.

Crush: What will you be drinking this festive season?

Rudi: Nothing new, just some more good red wine.

The Mount Nelson will be open for the festive period.

belmond.co.za | Facebook | Twitter

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