French Affair

Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen was raised on a rural farm in the north of South Africa. After completing an Advanced Diploma in Culinary Arts in Stellenbosch he furthered his studies with a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Design and Photography. Thereafter he was a contributing food editor for ELLE magazine in South Africa and Paris before relocating to Nice to open his own restaurant, JAN, in 2013. Since its humble beginnings, JAN has garnered a reputation as one of the top restaurants in the south of France, earning a Michelin star in 2016. This was followed by Klein JAN, opened in 2021 on the Tswalu Game Reserve, bringing the spirit of JAN to home soil, and giving the food from the Kalahari the global stage it deserves. Jan Hendrik was named first in the African Food Network 100 Most Influential People in the African Food Industry 2023, which celebrates change-makers from all regions of Africa who’ve made an impact through entrepreneurship, advocacy, innovation and preservation of culinary traditions. Jan Hendrik has also published a range of award-winning cookbooks and bookazines.