Under chef James Gaag’s leadership, La Colombe has garnered a number of accolades, including World’s 50 Best (49th), Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant of the Year, Trip Advisor’s Best Fine Dining Restaurants in the World (17th), Trip Advisor’s Best Fine Dining Restaurant in Africa, and JHP Gourmet Guide’s 3 Plates (Highest Accolade). But it’s been James Gaag’s involvement in recent culinary experiences that highlights his standing as a chef on the world stage.
In March, he was invited to be guest chef at the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Ikarus, in Salzburg, Austria. The unique concept sees a new chef take the helm for a month, offering a menu that is a replica of what they would prepare in their own restaurant.
Next, James collaborated with Adam Handling MBE of Michelin-starred restaurant Frog in London to first present a dinner at La Colombe in April and then at Frog in June.
Despite the international spotlight currently shining on James, he remains humble and modest, at times seemingly surprised at finding himself in the illustrious company of Michelin-starred chefs.
Growing up in kitchens around food, James’s passion for cooking developed from a young age. His mother, Gaie Gaag, is a cooking, sugar-craft and confectionary teacher at Silwood Kitchen, the esteemed culinary school in Cape Town. It was here where James was exposed not only to food and cooking professionally, but also to the South African culinary industry.
Unsure of what he wanted to do after completing high school, James enrolled at Silwood Kitchen, and from day one fell in love with cooking. He has never looked back. While studying, James worked part-time in a café to put himself through cooking school, where he graduated top of his class and was subsequently appointed as an ambassador for Silwood Kitchen.
He was offered a position in the kitchen of legendary chef Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxford. He spent a year in the renowned kitchen, before returning to South Africa in 2014, where he joined La Colombe as head chef. Since then, his career has grown from strength to strength.
The Residency
James says he was completely bowled over when he received the invitation for the residency at Ikarus. He says that to be included among a list of the world’s most renowned chefs was an honour and, of course, a bit daunting. In terms of cooking style and plating, the task was to create exactly the same as back home. Apart from certain items having to change from a supply point of view, James is confident they created a very similar experience for diners as to the one they’d have at La Colombe.
When he travelled to Salzburg, Austria, James took with him not only his team, but also the components for La Colombe’s iconic dish, The Dove’s Nest, the first course of every meal at La Colombe. It’s a delicate little drink, sipped through a straw from an eggshell, to wake up the palate.
‘We foraged herbs, shrubs and proteas to recreate the nest. I spent three or four days in the development kitchen making them. One suitcase was just nests. We had the ceramic eggshells made, the mushrooms with turned wooden caps, tuna labels, envelopes for the nests,’ says James. ‘We took as much as we could to make it as authentic as possible. Our décor and presentation style is unique to us and it’s what makes us special.’
He remains mystified but undoubtedly proud as to how he was selected for Ikarus, an arena for the very best of the best, but is delighted he was. He says he hopes he shone some light on the food scene in Cape Town and maybe sparked the interest of more international foodies to put South Africa and Africa on the map.
The Collaboration
Working alongside Adam Handling from Frog came about after Adam dined at La Colombe last year.
‘Adam and his restaurant director, George Hersey, came for dinner and booked under George’s name,’ recalls James. ‘A couple of days later, he sent me his book and a DM on Instagram saying, ‘Our styles are similar, would you be open to a four-hands dinner?’” James says.
‘We’d never really had the idea of doing a collab; we trust in what we’re doing and want to put effort into it. It’s fun but it takes a lot of energy from your day-to-day in the restaurant but once it’s happening and it’s underway, then it’s really worthwhile.’
When Adam visited South Africa for the first time in September 2023, he says he ‘absolutely fell in love with the place, the people and the culture’.
‘The food and drink scene is incredible and there really is no more stunning setting than La Colombe! James is a phenomenal chef and there are some real synergies with our experience-led offerings, so it felt like a natural opportunity for a four-hands dinner, to really have some fun and showcase British food in South Africa and the reverse when James comes to visit Frog.’
James agrees, saying it’s ‘super inspiring’ to see a different chef come in with different ideas, a different mentality. ‘Adam’s got a strong identity with sustainability. What he can’t use in one restaurant goes to another, or even turned into alcohol for the bar.’
Adam says the highlight of the dinner at La Colombe was to be able to showcase British food but in the most sustainable fashion. The 12-course menu created by both chefs and their teams, saw Adam bringing ingredients like Scottish lobster and Cornish cod to the South African table, and his own-label caviar. ‘These ingredients are in abundance back in the UK but are extremely hard to get hold of in South Africa, so it was great to see the guests’ reactions to some of the ingredients which I love to work with,’ James says.
While Ikarus was all about recreating every tiny detail of La Colombe’s menu and experience over an entire month as accurately as possible, the dinner at Frog – like the one at La Colombe – showcased ingredients, presentation and skills in harmony with each other.
La Colombe is at the top of the game when it comes to imaginative presentation. Before becoming a chef, James wanted to study engineering, and work with his hands (he still does woodwork in his own time). ‘Food is as much of a creative release – maybe even more so – as you’re using your hands to build things and trying to understand how they work. It’s the same principle applied differently.’ And that’s just part of why La Colombe is the best in South Africa.
