A culinary coup

The La Colombe Group achieved a significant coup this week at the 2025 Eat Out Woolworths Awards with three of its restaurants each garnering top honours with three stars.

La Colombe in Constantia, La Petite Colombe in Franschhoek and Pier at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town were among the restaurants that attained three stars. Moreover, all of the group’s seven restaurants walked away with at least two stars, and took home three special awards for wine service, desserts and mixology.

The accolades confirm the group is still at the helm of the top end of South Africa’s culinary scene. Wanted touched base with those driving the group to find out about their secret sauce.

The feedback is that the restaurants across the group are inspired by the world, travels and current inspirations. Chef proprietor Scot Kirton said La Colombe Group stands for quality unique dining experiences, packed with bold flavours that create memories to last lifetimes.

The idea of a restaurant empire started years ago when he worked at The Savoy Grill in London, part of Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant group and his interest was piqued.

“Watching that restaurant group grow definitely helped instil the dream that one day I would be able to start my own restaurant group,” Kirton says.

Working there also instilled a sense of discipline in the kitchen “and to never accept second best”.

Kirton, says each of the restaurants has its style, which is blended with their beliefs of what people want to eat and a hint of theatre.

The group has two central kitchens; one at the V&A Waterfront and one in Constantia. From there they have a team producing and providing many of the daily essentials including stocks, breads, dry ageing sorbets. They also have a small development kitchen where chefs create new dishes.

How does the group ensure that there is the highest level of quality of product and service throughout the group? Executive chef of La Colombe, James Gaag, says from a product point of view they only work with the best they can find. They order daily to ensure freshness and do as little to the product as possible, “so it stays true to the product”.

They also place a big emphasis on training. “The more staff understand the food and products we are servicing, the better they are able to convey it to our guests,” says Gaag.

Being part of a group is also important. “All the chefs feed off each other’s successes. We have created a family — with that comes little family rivalries, where you all push each other to be the best. It’s a fantastic and supportive environment”.

The business is run like a family. “Anyone that needs any support feels comfortable enough to come to us and we will give them any support they need,” says Gaag.

The group has about 450 staff working in the group between the seven restaurants. Their business partner is the Constandakis family.

Kirton says working with Gaag has shown they share the same dreams “to create magical experiences in multiple locations”.

There are talks of an eighth restaurant, but it’s early days and further details will be available only towards the end of the year, says Kirton.

As for the awards, the judges noted that La Colombe consistently delivers an exceptional dining experience that lives up to its storied reputation in SA’s culinary landscape with a dedication to innovation and a meticulous approach.

On awarding three stars to La Petite Colombe, the judges said their carefully-crafted menu told a story of their chef’s personal culinary evolution, incorporating elements from his upbringing that add depth — and significance — to each dish. What sets them apart is their technical precision and genuine hospitality.

On Pier’s three-star award, the judges noted that each multicourse creation showcased technical precision and global influences, while remaining true to the local maritime setting.

Epice, Foxcroft, The Waterside and Protégé were each awarded two stars. The other three-star restaurants are Dusk in Stellenbosch, Fyn in the City Bowl in Cape Town, Salsify at the Roundhouse in Camps Bay and The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate in Cowies Hill, KwaZulu-Natal.

Salsify was named restaurant of the year and Pinetown-based Johannes Richter won chef of the year for the LivingRoom.

The Western Cape again dominated the list of winners, with 46 restaurants in the province taking home stars. Gauteng had five and KwaZulu-Natal three, and the Eastern Cape and Northern Cape were each awarded one.