What makes a chef who has worked in top London and Cape Town restaurants decide to open her own in the small Western Cape town of Montagu? And how do you make that business work? Sanel Esterhuizen reveals her fascinating food journey and tells us about the dishes she cooks at 22 On Church (read the review here).

When did you open 22 On Church and why?

“I grew up in Montagu and back in the 80’s my mom and a friend first converted the building from a house to a restaurant. Their 22 Church Street restaurant served typical classics from that era – coq au vin and crepe suzettes – and it was my first exposure to “fine dining”, helping in the kitchen and waitressing. We like to think they were a little ahead of their time for small rural towns and, though the restaurant did not last, it did give rise to my food journey.

“I have been living and working in Cape Town for the pass 20-odd years, with a few stints overseas, but Montagu always held a special place for me. About six years ago, my partner Graeme and I decided to move back and start a small bistro in Montagu where we could serve good, ethical and locally sourced food.”

Tell us more about that food journey you mentioned – where did it all start? 

“Having completed high school in Montagu, off I went to explore the world outside the small bubble I grew up in. I studied various things, from architecture to politics and sociology, but it was during a gap year while waitressing that I found my passion. I had the opportunity to work in a kitchen in Plettenberg Bay for a season. I immediately felt at home in the kitchen – loved the pressure, the team spirit the creativity and, strangely enough, the hard work and unsociable hours.

You then headed overseas … and ended up working with Terence Conran, right?

“Yes. By luck, the chef in Plettenberg Bay was British and got me a job in London. I organised a two-year working holiday visa, packed my bags, and went off to start my cooking career in London. I worked for Terence Conran’s Bluebird, a massive ‘gastrodome’ restaurant, with a brasserie, private club café, food court, and chef’s shop. Not only is London an education for anyone, but the food, the ingredients, exposure and opportunity to work with great chefs were immense. I also worked in another Conran restaurant Sartoria after that, where the food was completely ingredient-driven and was amazed at how very simple the most delicious food is. By now the travel bug has truly bitten me and I found cooking was a great way to work and travel … I even ended up in Cyprus.”

Once your travels were over, how did you establish your career back home?

“Back in Cape Town, I started at the Cellars Hohenhort hotel for a short while, before I got a call from one of the chef’s I had worked with in London … they were opening Beluga and did I want to join? Next followed some great years and hard work in what would become one of Cape Town’s iconic restaurants. After that I then took had the opportunity to work with Bruce Robertson at the Cape Grace – again, a totally different style to anything I had done before.

“Graeme and I then took some time off to travel around South America for a few months and I came back to work at the Westin for a few years. Off again to travel, this time to Ireland for two years and when we came back I worked at the V&A Hotel, before I took over at 15 OnOrange hotel. Each place I worked at, each chef I worked under, each collogue I met, shaped me and my cooking style, for which I will always be grateful.”

“Six years ago, we swopped city life and moved back to Montagu to live a little closer to nature and have a little more time and quality of life.

What’s your philosophy behind the food you cook in the restaurant? 

“I don’t really have a philosophy other than to cook food I enjoy eating. We have a good basic bistro menu, and then also add some interesting seasonal dishes as specials. We try to source as much locally as possible and have an increasingly great selection of artisanal producers in Montagu, from the most amazing charcuterie at Serendipty, to cheeses from Montagu Cheese, and sustainable fresh trout from Two Dam – a sustainable, off-grid trout farm in the middle of the Little Karoo. We basically try to source as much locally and ethically as possible, but it has become more a lifestyle than a philosophy.

“If I have to put a label to our menu, I’d say ‘contemporary country cuisine’. The joy of having your own restaurant is that you can make up the rules as you go along – I might get some awesome confit duck from Serendipity, real Toulousse sausages (and it has it be for French cassoulet). Now, in autumn, pomegranates and quince are in season … it might inspire a few Moroccan dishes or if I feel in the mood for Asian as we also make dumplings. Hunting season starts in winter, so expect a few venison dishes on the menu.”

“Montagu also hosts a yearly Herb Festival, which has also inspired me to use more indigenous ingredients in my cooking and we regularly host ‘Veldkos’ dinners to highlight the Little Karoo’s diverse herbal plants. I use a lot of these ingredients in my food … balderjan, buchu, renosterbos, spekbos … in fact, more and more is appearing on the menu.”

Running a successful restaurant in a small town must have its challenges – how do you make it work?

Small towns are seasonal by nature and winters can get very quiet – that’s why we try to cater to both our overseas visitors, as well as our loyal local clientele. Small towns work because everyone supports everyone, and we are fiercely loyal … I buy from you, therefore you support me. And this was never more apparent than during Covid when we really had to rely on each other. If we did takeaways, everyone ordered and supported … if we could not sell wine, they still came to eat.

And what on your menu have become your customers’ favs?

“Strangely enough one of our best-selling dish is probably our ceviche (a dish, interestingly, I had the first time in a desert oasis in the Peru) made from trout sourced from Two Dam. The fish is fresh and the flavours of the heat from a little chili and ginger, balanced with lime, salt and sugar for a quick cure, is perfect for those hot dry Little Karoo days when the temperature rises to the high 30 degrees.”

How often do you change the menu?

“We try at least three times a year, but our specials changes daily depending on what we have available., so there is usually something new to try even if you visit regularly

And finally, what are your opening times?

We are open Tuesday to Saturdays from 17h00 to 22h00, so suppers only. You can follow us on social media (@22churchstreet) for updates and we even have a little video on YouTube!