Westin Executive Club – Chef Johann Breedt

I started my career in the kitchen at home with grandma’s and family that love good food and have a passion for cooking and entertaining. Who would know that this would be the greatest revelation in my life. I plunged into the industry on the 1^st of January 2001 in Cape Town as a breakfast chef.

Ten years down the line I find myself in exactly the same position, still loving every moment and passionate. The Westin Executive Club on the 19^th floor offers the perfect setting for the ‘thing’ we love the most yet ignore so many times “FOOD”. After honing my skills at the Twelve Apostles, I departed for London in 2002. Stints at the Ritz Piccadilly London and Raymond Blanc in Oxfordshire fine-tuned my techniques and exposed me to new and exciting concepts.

I returned back home to Cape Town working at the Twelve Apostles and Lanzerac in Stellenbosch.

Why a chef, I am frequently asked? All I can say is that every day is lucky packet full of surprises.. Remember in kindergarten where you made those little boudoir biscuit racing cars, well now I’m getting paid to do just that. I thrive on challenging myself and pushing the envelope like competing in prestigious competitions like the in Unilever chef of the year in which I was a finalist and Bocuse d’Or finalist South African trails.

At the Westin Executive Club we strive for the love for great food in a setting that is closer to the stars than you may imagine.

Eating, what a marvellous thing!