Luke-Dale Roberts Is Leaving The Saxon And We're Sad About It

Word came in earlier this week that Luke Dale-Roberts has his sights set on three restaurants in Cape Town. We didn't think much of this - seeing as we've got Luke Dale-Roberts X Saxon just down the road... So we thought. The fine dining restaurant in Saxonwold will be closing its doors on 31 March 2018. After two successful years at The Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa with chef Candice Philip at the helm, Luke will be adventuring forward. And the lucky restaurants Luke Dale-Roberts will be focusing on? The Test Kitchen, The Pot Luck Club and The Shortmarket Club. The parting of ways between Luke Dale-Roberts and George Cohen, managing director of The Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa, is an amicable one and the two remain friends going forward and George has been quoted saying that “it has been an honour and a pleasure to have had my good friend chef Luke as a member of the Saxon family for the past two years.” What will become of the space? The new restaurant at The Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa will open its doors officially on 10 April 2018, where Candice Philip will remain as head chef. “This is a great opportunity for Candice to shine in her own right,” says Luke. “Working with her has been a pleasure and I’m excited to see what she comes up with at The Saxon to take it forward to its next culinary level.” Despite the big move, Luke is not done with Joburg just yet and will also be looking to establish a new restaurant in 2019. By Shawn Greyling