The trailblazing chef and acclaimed South African fine-dining destination, The LivingRoom, delivers another landmark performance at the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards.
In a defining moment for South Africa’s culinary landscape, Chef Johannes Richter of The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate has once again been named Eat Out Woolworths Financial Services Chef of the Year, securing the title for the second consecutive year. A rare distinction, the accolade affirms not only a single exceptional season but sustained excellence, innovation, and leadership at the highest level of South African gastronomy.
Nearly ten years ago, we set out on a mission of giving fine dining in our beautiful country a South African voice – arriving at my former childhood home with big ideas and no budget,” says Richter. “It’s taken a lot of time to get our dream restaurant to where we are now, and it’s simply unbelievable to have been recognised as Chef of the Year for the second year running. This is a journey that is really only beginning as we work towards defining and cementing our vision in the culinary sphere and beyond.”
The evening marked a landmark showing for The LivingRoom, which was awarded Three Eat Out Stars, alongside the Eat Out Woolworths Rural Green Star Award — the third time the restaurant has received the prestigious sustainability honour.
A Restaurant Defining Its Era
German-born, Durban-raised, and Michelin-trained, Chef Johannes Richter returned to South Africa in 2017 with his wife and business partner, Johanna Richter, to establish The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate.
What began as a deeply personal, sustainability-led project has evolved into one of the country’s most influential dining destinations. This restaurant has helped reshape how South African cuisine is expressed, understood, and experienced. At the core of Richter’s approach is a singular philosophy: to cook from place, celebrating KwaZulu-Natal culinary diversity.
His menus draw almost entirely on the biodiversity of KwaZulu-Natal, often constructed around just three ingredients — a deliberate constraint that allows endemic, often overlooked produce to be expressed with clarity and precision. Ancient techniques — fermentation, curing, and preservation — underpin the kitchen, extending ingredients across seasons while eliminating waste. The result is a menu in constant dialogue with its surroundings: hyper-seasonal, unprocessed, and deeply rooted in its environment.
Sustainability Without Compromise
The Eat Out Woolworths Rural Green Star Award recognises restaurants operating in land-connected environments while demonstrating meaningful environmental responsibility — a philosophy that has defined The LivingRoom since its inception.
Operating fully off-grid, powered by solar energy, the restaurant represents a new model for fine dining in South Africa — one that balances innovation with accountability. Every element of the operation reflects this commitment: wood-fired cooking using invasive black wattle, which contributes to ecological restoration; a strict no wild-caught-seafood policy; and a sourcing model built almost entirely around local, small-scale producers.
This closed-loop system minimises environmental impact while reinforcing a deeper connection between land, kitchen, and plate.
Everything we do at The LivingRoom is rooted in sustainability — the land, the seasons, and the people around us. To be recognised with the Green Star reinforces that sustainability and excellence are not separate ideas, but part of the same future for dining.”
People at the Heart of the Kitchen
Beyond its culinary philosophy, The LivingRoom’s success is grounded in its people. The team — largely employed from the surrounding community — is shaped through ongoing mentorship, training, and development. This commitment to nurturing talent has already seen remarkable results, with sous chef Luckson Mare recently winning South Africa’s largest young chef competition and qualifying for the international finale in Milan.
A Spirit of Collaboration
The 2026 recognition builds on a year of growing international presence for Chef Johannes Richter. In 2025, he collaborated with Michelin-starred kitchens across Dubai, Italy, and Austria, and participated in globally recognised culinary events, including Gastromasa in Turkey and the 10 Hands Fire Dinner in Italy, at the acclaimed Ein Prosit food festival.
These international engagements — alongside collaborations with leading South African chefs — continue to position The LivingRoom as a powerful ambassador for KwaZulu-Natal’s culinary identity on the global stage. As The LivingRoom continues to evolve, its MATRIARCHS series brings a new dimension to its collaborative work — inviting mothers, grandmothers, and custodians of South Africa’s food heritage into the kitchen to share recipes, techniques, and lived culinary knowledge, which are then reimagined into a series of deeply personal Sunday lunch experiences
About The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate. Established in 2017, The LivingRoom is an award-winning fine-dining restaurant located within Summerhill Guest Estate in Cowies Hill, KwaZulu-Natal. Led by Chef Johannes and Johanna Richter, the restaurant offers a hyper-seasonal tasting menu rooted in indigenous ingredients, local sourcing, and low-impact cooking. The experience is complemented by a curated South African wine programme, alongside an innovative non-alcoholic pairing crafted from in-house ferments, tonics, and botanicals.
Also See: Meet the 2026 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Award winners
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