A Table in the Corner

On this episode of A Table in the Corner, Russel sits down with Jesper Nilsson, the Swedish-born chef behind Ëlgr, his popular restaurant on Kloof Street.
Jesper’s cooking carries the clarity and discipline often associated with Scandinavian kitchens, but it’s firmly rooted in the produce and rhythm of Cape Town. The result is a restaurant that isn’t Nordic transplanted into South Africa, but something shaped by both places: restrained, ingredient-led cooking in a relaxed dining room where regulars gather as easily for a pizza and beer as they do for a date night meal.
In the conversation, Jesper traces his journey from chef school in Sweden to training locally at the International Culinary Academy, cooking in Franschhoek and eventually returning from Sweden to open Ëlgr at just 28 years old. He reflects on how his time at Malmö restaurant ‘Bastard’ reshaped his thinking about kitchen culture, leadership and the collaborative structure that now defines his team. 
Russel and Jesper also talk about the craft behind the menu – from house-made charcuterie and fermentation projects to the unexpectedly beloved pizzas – and about the discipline required to maintain consistency after four consecutive Eat Out Restaurant Awards one-star ratings.
It’s a conversation about how a chef’s identity forms: what you carry with you from where you grew up, what you learn along the way, and how those influences settle into a restaurant that reflects both the cook and the city around it.

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 Ella Rykaart, the front-of-house force behind Rykaarts, the small, atmospheric restaurant she runs with her husband, chef Alex Rykaart, on Longridge Wine Estate.
While chefs often take the spotlight, this conversation turns the focus toward the other half of the restaurant equation: hospitality. Ella reflects on her path from studying winemaking to discovering the pull of restaurant life, working under respected restaurateur Neil Grant, learning the realities of kitchens with George Jardine, and later refining her understanding of service and restaurant logistics alongside Christophe and Susan Dehosse.
The conversation explores what front-of-house leadership really means: building teams, managing expectations, creating a relaxed dining environment, and balancing the fine line between attentive service and simply allowing guests to enjoy themselves. Ella also speaks candidly about changing perspectives on hospitality, authenticity in restaurant culture, and why not every dining experience needs a carefully narrated story.
Set against the sweeping vineyard views of Longridge, this episode looks at the quieter craft of running service, and the role hospitality and setting play in shaping the experience of a restaurant.

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 Giles Edwards, a chef returning to the pass after time away, now working in collaboration with Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen at Le Bistrot de JAN. It’s a conversation about coming back to the kitchen on different terms, with more clarity about what matters and what doesn’t. 
Giles first came onto the city’s radar with La Tête, a restaurant that built a loyal following through a deeply considered approach to sourcing, sustainability and unfussy, exacting cooking. Before that came a formative decade in London, including time at St. John under Fergus Henderson, where ideas around whole-animal cooking and restraint took root.
The conversation traces that arc. The early pull of St. John, the grind and discipline of London, the creation and eventual closure of La Tête, and the decision to step away from kitchens altogether. It also explores what it means to return, this time with boundaries, working within someone else’s space while holding onto a clear sense of self.
This is a conversation about simplicity, sustainability and the long view. About learning, stepping back, and choosing how to come back.

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 sits down with Brett Michielin, the operator behind Mozambik, one of Southern Africa’s most recognisable casual dining brands. What began as a forty-seat restaurant in Ballito, KZN has grown into more than forty five outlets across the SADEC region. But the conversation starts with something far smaller: a twist of newspaper filled with pan-roasted peanuts placed on the table when guests arrive.
Brett traces the origins of Mozambik back to the tavernas and beach bars of coastal Mozambique and the Portuguese-influenced restaurant culture of Durban. From the beginning, he explains, the idea was simple: food would take the brand part of the way, but atmosphere, generosity and service would carry it the rest.
The discussion moves through the early years of the Ballito restaurant, the unlikely partnership that launched the brand, and the mechanics of turning a loose beachside concept into a scalable franchise operation. Brett speaks candidly about the realities of growth, from training staff and building supply chains to maintaining consistency across multiple countries.
Along the way we talk about the role hospitality plays in social mobility, illustrated through the story of a bartender who rose through the company to run operations in Zimbabwe, and the broader challenges facing independent restaurants in a market increasingly shaped by larger groups.
This is a practical, wide ranging conversation about scale, culture and the long game of building restaurants, told by an operator who still chases the rush that comes when the doors open and service begins.

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 sits down with Korean-born chef Sepial Shim, whose quiet, wandering path through Cape Town’s food world has taken her from cooking school to markets, pop ups and now a tiny sixteen seat restaurant in Woodstock called 'In the Meantime'.
She reflects on arriving in South Africa more than two decades ago and training as an urban designer, only to discover that cooking offered a different way of expressing meaning without words. What followed was an unconventional journey: studying at Silwood alongside her son, opening a small restaurant in Salt River, building a cult following for Korean fried chicken at the Oranjezicht market, and experimenting with fermentation as both craft and philosophy.
The conversation moves between those phases and the thinking behind Sepial’s latest project: a deliberately small restaurant where she cooks each dish herself and serves guests directly. We talk about the tension between creativity and business, the financial cost of pursuing fermentation as a passion project, and the decision to trade scale for focus in the limited years she still plans to cook professionally.
Along the way Shim reflects on Korean food traditions, Cape Town’s evolving dining culture and the quiet satisfaction of watching diners recognise the care behind something as subtle as a clear beef short-rib broth.
This is a thoughtful, candid conversation about wandering, learning and choosing to cook in a way that makes sense for one’s life, told by a chef who understands that sometimes the most meaningful work happens in small rooms. 

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