ABOUT US

Chef Jesper Nilsson

Jesper, who hails from Sweden, trained at the Institute of Culinary Arts in Stellenbosch and has worked for Darren Badenhorst at Grande Provence, Richard Carstens at Tokara Restaurant and Arno Janse van Rensburg at The Kitchen at Maison, Franschhoek. To gain further experience in the international culinary scene, Jesper travelled first to New Zealand and then to Sweden, where he joined Andreas Dahlberg’s team at Bastard Restaurant in Malmö. On his return to South Africa Jesper reunited with Arno at Janse & Co. Jesper’s vision for ëlgr is fine food, great wine and inspiring cocktails, all served in a relaxed environment. Menus are seasonal and change often, with exceptional, original, yet uncomplicated flavours. The dishes are creatively presented with simple, fresh ingredients.

“I take inspiration from my Nordic background and combine it with my culinary experience from South Africa. I take pride in craftsmanship and strive to create dishes that are authentic, trying to understand not only the flavours but also the cultural background of each component in the dish. Limiting yourself to one particular style means you are defining the outcome before you go through the process.”