ON THE EDGE
“ The idea is to create an exciting new food ecosystem and, to ‘cook what’s not there’ ”
“ A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS RESTAURANT, saysVusi Ndlovu, co-owner and executive chef at Edge restaurant,“but somehow I didn’t realise anyone had been waiting at all.” Edge is set to open in Franschhoek soon.“It’s been crazy trying to get funding for a restaurant, of all things, in the middle of Covid, but we’re really lucky to have a support system,” he says.
There has been much media attention since the former Marabi Club head chef announced his move from Joburg to the Cape winelands – the culmination of a vision that he and partners Absie and Mandlakazi Pantshwa had been trying to realise since March 2018. Originally slated to open this past winter, the delay has allowed time to experiment and plan.“Conceiving the menu has been fun – it’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before,” says Vusi, who has previously worked with chefs David Higgs and Peter Tempelhoff.
Vusi says his aim is to educate diners through the innovative use of indigenous ingredients in waste-free, flavour-forward ways. “The idea is to create an exciting new food ecosystem in the middle of Franschhoek and, to paraphrase Miles Davis,‘cook what’s not there’.”
With values of inclusivity, community and food steeped in rich history, Vusi – who was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in SA – takes a deeper venture into the African pantry. He draws
