Young gun chef and Netflix celeb Ash Heeger has announced that she will be closing her Cape Town City Bowl restaurant, Riverine Rabbit, within the next few months.

 

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A post shared by Ash Heeger (@grand_master_ash) on Jan 31, 2020 at 3:27am PST

The chef transformed her restaurant from its first venture, ASH Restaurant, to Riverine Rabbit in 2018, and took to Instagram to announce her decision to close the restaurant and to relocate to the United Kingdom:

“For those of you who do not know me personally, I wear my heart on my sleeve and this statement is no different.

I’ve prioritised my career above all else my entire life. It’s served me well so far and I’ve excelled in this industry as a result, shaping me into the person I am today.

I’ve spent the last four years as a restaurant owner and it’s been the single most rewarding experience of my life. I’ve learnt what it takes to be a leader, an employer and a mentor to those around me.

Most importantly, I’ve loved every second with my team who have become my family.

However, the ambitious pursuit of my career goals has been the detriment of many of my personal relationships. For the first time I’ve found something that is more important to me than my career, or my business. And that is my own happiness.

I’ve made the decision to close Riverine Rabbit towards the end of the season and move back to the United Kingdom to be with my partner, Erin. Making our relationship my priority.

This has been an incredibly difficult decision to make, one that I’ve not made lightly.

I do not wish to keep The Rabbit open without my presence in Cape Town, it just wouldn’t feel right.

The restaurant is so much a part of me, I can’t imagine not being a part of its everyday life.

I love my business, Cape Town and my country, but I firmly believe this is the right call for me, for now. Having my sister Mandy on board for the last two years has been absolutely fantastic and I’m so grateful for her support throughout our time together, and with this decision.

This is definitely not goodbye; this is just the next step in my journey. I hope you will join me for what will be a celebration of an amazing restaurant with our incredible team fully operational until we close. This is the time for soaking up our last days together at The Rabbit and doing what we love: cooking great food and providing amazing service for our guests.

I’d like to thank Erin for her love and support. For showing me that there is more to life than work.

To my family, my friends and my colleagues who deserve all the praise in the world. I would not and could not have gotten here without you.”

The closure date has yet to be announced. Stay tuned to Eat Out for further developments.