South African's will soon be able to get an exclusive look into the life of the country's first Michelin-star chef, Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen with the launch of his first television series, JAN.
From Tuesday October 24 at 7pm viewers can tune into VIA (DSTV channel 147) and catch the award-winning chef and culinary genius as he combines French and South African cooking in his restaurant, JAN, in Nice, France.
The show will simultaneously be available on Showmax.
Viewers will get an intimate look into the life of a creative artist, and also the processes that inspires Jan-Hendrik to create his award-winning culinary creations.
We discover how his childhood on a dairy farm in Mpumalanga prepared him for opening his restaurant, and why he received the highest accolade in the restaurant business three years later.
“Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen is one of South Africa’s exports that fills us with pride. It is a great honour to be able to explore his inner world through the camera lens,” says Izelle Venter, VIA’s channel head.
“The programme is in Afrikaans, English, French and Italian, but the entire series has English subtitles, so everyone can watch it.”
The series begins in his restaurant on the French Riviera, where Hollywood stars, international sportspeople and other VIP guests queue for a table. The cameras then follow Van der Westhuizen to the small Italian village of Apricale, where he goes to recharge his batteries and to explore distinctive ingredients in the company of local characters.
Each episode ends off with a spectacular dish inspired by the episode’s characters and ingredients – usually accompanied by a robust South African touch.
Van der Westhuizen is currently in Cape Town for the launch of his show.
He says: “Guests at my restaurant should not only say they enjoyed eating there – they must say they had a great experience. The same goes for the series: we are taking the viewers on a visual and sensory journey.
"If viewers feel that the programme was an experience for them as well, then we have done good work.”
New episodes of Jan will air every Tuesday at 7:30pm, with repeats on Sundays at 8:30pm.
The series consists of nine episodes of 50 minutes each in Afrikaans, French and Italian, with English subtitles.
Guest appearances will include Springbok players Duane Vermeulen and Juandré Kruger as well as actress Julia Stiles, head chef at JAN, Kevin Grobler and local chef Rutger Eysvogel.
Show promo