South African-born chef Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen of Michelin-starred restaurant JAN in Nice, France, has become known as the country’s first chef to be awarded a Michelin star. Now, he’s announced plans to open a restaurant in his home country by 2020.

Chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen of JAN in Nice, France. Photo supplied.

The celebrated chef – who was born in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga – will be collaborating with Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, owned by Nicky and Jonathan Oppenheimer in the Northern Cape, to create a food-and-drinks experience that’s in line with the luxury lodge’s offering. The new restaurant, which will be named KLEIN JAN, will become the space for Jan to create world-class cuisine using the region’s vast culinary offering. “I always knew I would one day return to the bush, to the campfires and open skies of my beloved South Africa,” says Jan on his Instagram announcement.

The untouched region where the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve is located. Photo supplied.

Until then, Jan-Hendrik is in the process of opening JAN Innovation Studio on Kloof Street in Cape Town. Here culinary students will be trained ahead of receiving a position at either JAN in Nice or Tswalu Kalahari Reserve. It will also be where the chef works on JAN the JOURNAL, a biannual publication that shares Jan Hendrik’s ideas, passion and curiosity about the culinary world.

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There he is. My hart se punt. @restaurant_jan image by @thefoodnarratives

A post shared by Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen (@janhendrikvanderwesthuizen) on Mar 22, 2019 at 8:57am PDT

Tswalu Kalahari Reserve is currently closed for a major renovation and will re-open around 15 June. In early 2020, KLEIN JAN will open at the lodge.

Stay tuned to Eat Out for further developments.