With a recent spate of closures, openings and reshuffling of chefs, the local restaurant industry seems to be finding itself in a season of change.

Perhaps the most noteworthy happening of late, was of 2010’s Eat Out chef of the year David Higgs making the decision to move on from the multi-award-winning Rust en Vrede to start afresh in Johannesburg.

There have also been quite a few unexpected restaurant closures, especially in Cape Town, with stalwarts like Mezzaluna and Wild Woods bidding loyal patrons goodbye.

“There are a few factors that come into play with the recent restaurant closures,” says Eat Out editor Abigail Donnelly. “Firstly, the economic climate has a lot to do with it. Restaurants experiencing difficulty might have stuck it out during the summer season to try and make up for any losses, and then realised that it wouldn’t be financially viable to continue on into the notoriously difficult winter season.

“Secondly, the dining public is quite unpredictable and fickle,” she continues. “The recent closure of Pete Goffe-Wood’s Wild Woods Café in Hout Bay is quite a good example of this. For years, people had complained that there weren’t any good restaurants in the area, and then Wild Woods opened, which not only sourced the best local ingredients and proffered great quality food, but also did so at a reasonable price. Still, the restaurant didn’t survive. Who knows – if it had opened in Cape Town’s City Bowl, it might have been a roaring success.”

As with most dark clouds, however, there’s a distinct silver lining shining through, with the opening of promising eateries like Pretoria’s Albizia, run by former Sunnyside favourite Li-Bel’s owners Lientjie and Robert Denton, and Cape Town’s fabulously whimsical Dear Me where chef Vanessa Marx puts her artistic touch on local, seasonal fare.

To keep you in the loop, here is our list of noteable shufflings in the eating-out scene:

Closing

• Boer & Brit Pub at the Alphen Hotel, Cape Town
• Li-Bel, Pretoria
• Mezzaluna, Cape Town
• Wild Woods, Cape Town

Opening

• Albizia
• Craft
• Dear Me
• Jason
• Dash Restaurant & Bar
• Massimos
• The Stone Kitchen
• Oliva Bar & Kitchen
• Eatery Jhb
• Chalkboard Collaboration Café
• Kitchen Cowboys’ Canteen
• Galbi Restaurant

Chefs moving and shaking

• Rust en Vrede’s David Higgs is moving to Johannesburg to head up an as-yet-undisclosed restaurant.
• La Pentola’s Shane Sauvage has recently taken over the reigns of Hemel en Aarde Valley hotspot La Vierge.
• Patisserie princess Vanessa Quellec is set to move on from Caffé Milano to spend a stint overseas.
• Vanie Padayachee of Prince Albert’s African Relish is currently consulting at Port Elizabeth’s Beach Hotel.
• On top of crafting French bistro classics at Bizerca chef Laurent Deslandes is soon to become a consultant at a prominent Sandton restaurant.

By Annette Klinger