-2.jpg)
Le Grand Jardin is the first culinary residence by Chefs Warehouse. A colour-drenched heritage house built around the table,
by the food-obsessed people behind our restaurants. We invite you to stay a while, sleep as late as you please, gather your people and make yourselves at home. Our food isn’t made behind a swing door: here you pull up a stool in the kitchen, join us as we forage, or simply enjoy what we serve.
This house moves around you as we build a book of food memories, some of which you get to take home.
At Le Grand Jardin, there’s a lot of house to get lost in. We like to eat in the glasshouse, where the garden presses against the panes and, in winter, there are cosy tables and armchairs beside the fire.
There are eco-pools for the wild-swimming sort and a sun-drenched pool for everyone else. There’s a deck if you feel like a morning stretch. We also have a merry-go-round (because why not), and two Great Danes who lord over the place.
This is a house that doesn’t believe in beige. It’s carried many summers and seasons of storms; well-aged but well appointed, and exceedingly comfortable
This is a residence for people who love food. We’re in the middle of the Cape Winelands, surrounded by superb fresh produce, with access to the best global ingredients and properly good Cape wines.
Chef Initza is in the kitchen, where you’re always welcome. Wander in, taste things before they’re ready, or simply watch her create. Liam, Ivor, David and Jami, the team behind Chefs Warehouse, are in the mix, dropping in from time to time to join our table.
What we cook changes with the season, inspired by what we source locally, but we always cook with the people around our table in mind. Fancy something specific? Let’s see what we can do.
Now and then, for a special occasion, the glasshouse opens its doors to outside guests for a seasonal celebration, strictly by booking and announced when it happens. For the everyday pleasure of eating with us, come and stay.
Find a corner to pause in, indoors or out. Watch the birds and dragonflies beside the eco-pools, stretch out with a book, take a wander through the garden after lunch, or come to market with Chef. If you feel like heading out, tell us what you enjoy. We’ll help you plan a day of it.
Come back as the light goes, freshen up and settle in. Dinner is crafted around whoever is at the table that evening. Sit back and let it unfold.
Le Grand Jardin was built in 1934 and has been a graciously unbuttoned home ever since. Generation after generation of residents have made her their retreat. A Sir Herbert Baker-style, house she’s generous in space, statuesque in proportion and built to let the gardens in, Our rooms stay cool in summer and turn snug in winter. Head down lush paths to the pools, encountering new pockets of discovery every day. Tinker in the listening library, visit the cellar and lounge at the gin bar. This is a house that's very good at bringing people together, and just as good at letting you slip away when you'd rather not be found.
This is a house built for gathering. Tell us what you’re dreaming of for your next celebration.
As you’d expect from Chefs Warehouse’s first residence, food is the centre of our story, served, for the most part, in the glass house. House chef, Initza Pretorius, has captured the South African essence of fire food and blended it with a global pastiche of flavours and textures. Her talent lies in curating exceptional ingredients in homely everyday dishes with a distinctive edge - expect flavour bombs and interesting ingredient pairings.
The house serves a daily breakfast and lunch or dinner meals inspired by the season. Of course, this is a house where you can’t have too many cooks in the kitchen. Recipes from the rest of the Chefs Warehouse team are always on file and you might find one of them in our kitchen, dropping in to lend a hand or bring an ingredient from their travels.
For special gatherings, a custom menu is designed but day-to-day eating is also a conversation, tell us what you feel like or let us surprise you. Le Grand Jardin's near neighbour is Le Grand Domaine wine estate led by winemaker and cellarmaster, Debbie Thompson, with assistant winemakers Mosima Mabelebele and Yolande Laubscher. Between them, they make a wide, food-friendly list that includes a Cap Classique rated 91 points at the Decanter World Wide Awards, Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Pinotage, Pinot Noir and an orange wine. Debbie is passionate about Cabernet Sauvignon and, among the reds is 'Our Stellie', a deep ruby, with ripe plum, bramble and a hint of violets on the nose and black currant and black cherry on the palate. In the vineyards, the team is working towards regenerative farming, planting cover crops between the rows and working them back into the soil. Guests at Le Grand Jardin are able to access the farm for private wine and cellar experiences.
Stay with us for a night or two or sink into the rhythms of the house with a longer stay. Perfectly appointed for groups of up to 12 adults in six suites, with children by arrangement. Outside of private bookings, suites can be reserved individually.
Le Grand Jardin is in Stellenbosch, the Winelands area of Cape Town, approximately thirty minutes from the city centre. The area is well known for its wines, fine restaurants, historic town, art, history and boutique stores. Visitors can use the house as a base from which to explore the sights of Cape Town but it's also the perfect place to do nothing at all.
