At The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate in Durban, sustainability isn’t a buzzword —it’s a blueprint, the basis around which the restaurant has been built from the very beginning.
“We never set out to open a restaurant that was sustainable; rather, we’ve always strived to run a sustainable restaurant,” explains chef Johannes Richter. For Richter, named South Africa’s Chef of the Year at the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards in 2025, the renovation of his kitchen was yet another opportunity to fuse culinary innovation with environmental consciousness. The result? A space where every design decision serves a purpose — one with sustainability at its heart.
At the core of the new kitchen lies a custom wood-fired oven, the architectural and philosophical centrepiece around which everything else was built. “We designed the entire cooking line around where we could position the flue and the foundation for the oven,” says Richter. This fire-first approach extends to a hibachi grill and a traditional braai, creating a flexible, flame-driven cooking system that reduces reliance on electricity.
But cooking on fire is as much about control as it’s about tradition. “You don’t get to just flick a switch to 180°C and walk away,” Richter notes. “It takes intuition, skill, and constant engagement.” The slow heat and versatility of the oven allow everything from braising and baking to low-temperature cooking, all with minimal energy consumption.
A kitchen’s environmental footprint extends beyond its appliances. For Richter, smart hygiene design was essential. Rounded corners, minimal dead spaces, and water-wise cleaning systems make the kitchen easier to maintain with fewer harsh chemicals — critical when operating on a septic-tank system. “Our septic tanks rely on microbial fauna to function properly,” he explains. “The fewer toxins we introduce, the better for the environment — and for our own ecosystem here.” Especially considering the fact that much of the grey water is fed back into the system that waters the gardens.
Summerhill’s The LivingRoom already operates off the grid, thanks to the installation of 90 solar panels. Now, with the kitchen upgrade, the Richter family is preparing to extend that ethos across the entire guest house. “We’ve been working for a year to balance the off-grid system, and the new kitchen threw everything off again,” he laughs. The power demands of the extractor fan, for example, once caused the entire property to plunge into darkness mid-service.
Despite the challenges, Richter sees this as an opportunity. By selecting fewer and more efficient appliances, and rethinking the energy flow within the kitchen, he’s slowly creating a system that can run sustainably even during the low-light days of winter. “The goal is full off-grid operation within two years,” he says.
And while SA’s braai culture traditionally leans on hardwood such as acacia, Richter has taken a different route — one that tackles invasive species. “In KZN, our biggest problem isn’t acacia, it’s eucalyptus and black wattle,” he says. These fast-spreading trees consume vast amounts of water and wreak havoc on local ecosystems.
By sourcing black wattle for his oven and grills, Richter turns an ecological challenge into a culinary solution. The wood burns evenly, offers a subtle smokiness prized in shisanyama cooking, and contributes to the oven’s signature flavour. Even the ash has a second life, enriching Summerhill’s gardens as an alkaline additive.
The redesign also reinforces Summerhill’s zero-waste commitment. Dedicated waste stations allow each section of the kitchen to separate recyclables and compostables, feeding into the estate’s gardens. “The ash from the oven is actually incredibly useful in composting, as it’s alkaline, unlike the acidic ash from charcoal,” says Richter.
Importantly, none of these sustainability wins came from a glossy brochure or luxury showroom. “We’re a family-run business,” Richter adds. “No estate backs us, there’s no corporate sponsor. We saved up and built the kitchen ourselves, with long-term durability in mind. If something lasts 10 years longer and is locally made, that’s a win.”
In a world of shiny gadgets and energy-guzzling conveniences, Richter has chosen a different path. His new kitchen isn’t just a place to cook; it’s a statement of values, a daily commitment to sustainability, and an exemplar of what the future of SA fine dining could look like.
From the August edition of Wanted, 2025
