A Table in the Corner

In this episode of A Table in the Corner, I sit down with Alex Windebank of Farro, the small, open-kitchen restaurant just off Dunkley Square that recently had to close when the building’s utilities were cut due to unpaid municipal debt by the landlord. Fully booked services had to be cancelled overnight, income dried up like the taps, and there was no clear timeline for reopening.
We get into what that actually meant on the ground. Not the headline, but the day-to-day reality of a small, owner-run restaurant operating on tight margins. Staff to consider, guests to manage, debts still due. It’s a sharp reminder of how exposed independent restaurants are to forces outside their control.
Alex also traces the path that brought him and Eloise here, from London kitchens to Johannesburg, and eventually to Farro in Cape Town. It’s a business built from scratch, without backing, shaped by hard decisions about how and where to operate.
At its core, Farro is a partnership. Alex cooking simply and precisely, Eloise running the room, both present and hands-on. And when things went wrong, it was the wider restaurant community that stepped in, offering support in practical ways that kept them going.
A conversation about resilience, risk and what it takes to keep a small restaurant alive.

www.rwm2012.com
On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited
Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay

At The Kraal Restaurant on Joostenberg Farm, Susan Dehosse is cooking from a place that predates current trends around farm-to-table experiences. In this episode of A Table in the Corner, we talk about how a working farm, a family legacy, and a career shaped in European kitchens come together in a restaurant that feels both grounded and personal.
Susan traces her path from early training in Stellenbosch and at Le Quartier Français to the discipline of London’s 3 Michelin starred Waterside Inn, before returning to South Africa to help build restaurants during the early wave of post-1994 growth. Alongside her husband Christophe, she played a role in explosion of Western Cape restaurant culture. 
At Joostenberg, that experience is filtered through something more instinctive. The Kraal sits on the family farm where her grandmother once cooked simple meals in the post-war years so the family could keep the farm. That thread of practicality and generosity still runs through the food today, but it’s balanced with classical technique and a lighter, more considered approach to structure and flavour.
The conversation also moves through the growth of Klein Joostenberg Bistro & Deli, the realities of building a sustainable farm business, and the importance of people in long-term operations. Susan speaks candidly about stepping into her own space at The Kraal, supported by a team that has grown with the business over decades.

www.rwm2012.com
On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited
Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay

In this episode of A Table in the Corner, I chat to PJ Vadas at his Smokehouse & Bakery on Spier Wine Estate. We talk plainly about what it actually costs to keep a restaurant running, and why so many operators are under pressure right now.
From refrigeration repair invoices that spiralled to over R100k to the constant recalibration of menus, staffing and pricing, PJ lays out the economics behind the plate. It’s a frank look at an industry where margins are tight, expectations are high, and every decision, from ingredient sourcing to glassware, has a cost attached. 
We follow his journey, from the fine dining intensity of The Roundhouse to building a large, broader operation at Spier. PJ explains why he moved away from fine diners, how diversification across bakery, retail and casual dining helps stabilise the business, and why one well-run, high-volume restaurant can offer more control than multiple smaller sites.
There’s also a frank take on kitchen culture, training and the realities of learning the craft. PJ speaks about time spent in demanding kitchens, the value of discipline, and the difference between pressure that builds skill and environments that simply break people down.
What emerges is a practical philosophy: know your numbers, charge what you need to survive, and build a restaurant that fits your life, not the other way around.

www.rwm2012.com
On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited
Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay

In this episode of A Table in the Corner, Russel Wasserfall sits down with chef Adél Hughes and artist-host Liebet Jooste, the couple behind Seebamboes. Their restaurant, tucked above Galjoen on Harrington Street, forms part of the same restaurant family as Belly of the Beast.
The conversation explores how Seebamboes operates as a collaboration between kitchen and dining room. Adél cooks with ingredients that arrive from small producers, fishermen and foragers, often shaping dishes around what turns up that day. Liebet, drawing on her background as a visual artist, guides guests through the meal, helping frame the experience and the stories behind the ingredients.
Russel traces how the project began with a small takeaway operation in Betty’s Bay before finding a home in Cape Town. Along the way the discussion touches on West Coast foodways, the use of seaweeds and coastal plants, and the realities of cooking with ingredients that are seasonal, unpredictable and deeply tied to place.
It’s a conversation about storytelling through food: how a menu becomes a narrative, how chefs and front of house work together to shape the experience, and how a meal can reconnect diners with the landscapes and ingredients that surround the Western Cape coast.
Seebamboes will also feature in an upcoming Table for Two episode on the A Table in the Corner YouTube channel. Launching in early May, the new video series sees Russel and co-host Jonathan Warnke visiting some of their favourite Cape Town restaurants, sharing the experience of the meal from two perspectives: one from inside the hospitality industry, and one from the curious diner at the table.

www.rwm2012.com
On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited
Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay

On this episode of A Table in the Corner, Russel sits down with Odette Olivier, head chef of the Harrington Street tasting-menu restaurant Belly of the Beast.
Odette talks about how she found her way into professional kitchens, from an early instinct to cook through culinary school and the formative years that followed in hotels and lodge kitchens. She also reflects on the influence of the late chef Ian Bergh of De Grendel Restaurant, whose mentorship helped shape her approach to cooking and to running a kitchen.
The conversation then turns to life inside Belly of the Beast, where a frequently changing set menu and an open kitchen create a particular rhythm to service. Odette describes the challenge of cooking a tightly choreographed tasting menu night after night, and how the small team keeps the kitchen calm and focused while working through multiple courses for every table.
Russel and Odette also discuss the realities of running a small restaurant in Cape Town today, including the growing problem of no-shows and how they affect independent restaurants operating with limited seats.
Finally, Odette shares a glimpse of what’s coming next for the Harrington Street group, which currently includes Belly of the Beast, Galjoen and Seebamboes. Two new restaurants, No Show and Quagga, are set to open in the next season, expanding the group’s presence in the East City Precinct.

www.rwm2012.com
On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited
Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay