A lover of food and beloved local restaurant owner.
“I come from a family of five sisters. We all love to cook. At some stage of our lives we have all been involved in the food industry. Could it stem from my paternal grandmother, Ouma Happy, who had a Tea Room at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth? Possibly! I have memories of her traditional generous Sunday lunches, tiered cakes and various toffee & striped boiled sweets in glass jars. My love of food, beyond simple nutritious meals, lay fairly dormant while raising our three sons. It was only in Barrydale, on elaborate Sunday lunches with local friends, that it occurred to me to take food prep to the next level. Several years later the opportunity to open the first restaurant at the hotel, then owned by Philip Uys, arose. Mez was created, and a huge learning curve ensued. Cooking for restaurant guests is very different to entertaining at home. When the premises on Van Riebeeck street came on the market, I bought and renovated the little home into a restaurant. After eleven years of amazing experiences and growth at Mez Karoo Kitchen, during which my son Kyle joined me, it was time to gently let go of our beloved little eatery. The plan is to offer cooking classes, but as hard as the food industry is, it gets under your skin and plans are already afoot to open another restaurant!” Join Michelle for her cooking demonstration on celebrating parmigiana cheese (limited space available).
