The MELTING POT CAFETERIA
They say good things happen in threes. This couldn’t be more true of the trio behind the hottest pop-up restaurant in Cape Town last year and its new, more permanent, home in a heritage building on Wale Street. John van Zyl (formerly of Chefs Warehouse and Thali restaurants), Sage Fell and Stefan Roos (ex Terroir and Thali) are the three legs of this success story. John and Stefan are third-generation family friends, having grown up together in Somerset West. Sage joins the story when all three were working at Liam Tomlin’s restaurant Thali.
“ The purpose of a meal with friends is to engage with others ” – John van Zyl
John was instrumental in Thali’s launch, with Stefan and Sage working in the kitchen and front of house respectively. After taking time off to travel, they found themselves back in Cape Town looking for a new gig. Serendipitously, John was approached by Dennis Williams, the owner of Marrow broth bar in Loop Street, who asked whether he was interested in taking over the small space. John didn’t feel it was the right location for a permanent venture, and instead offered to do a three-month pop-up with Sage and Stefan, with Vee
