Delft wall

Celebrating the Delft theme of the new SPRING FLING edition of VISI magazine, Hemelhuijs is offering the chance of getting a 50% discount on a meal for two. We chatted to owner and food artist Jacques Erasmus about his love of ceramics and Delft.

How did the Delft-inspired wall in Hemelhuijs come about?

I grew up with walls filled with Delft plates and this is my interpretation of that. I have been fascinated by blue-and-white ceramics since childhood and used to collect little shards and pieces.

One of your signatures is to use bread as artistic medium. Can you explain the significance?

For me, bread is the symbol of life. No matter where in the world you go, how ever fluctuating our surroundings may be, bread – its taste, smell and forms – are the one medium that holds comfort and the familiar.

You work very closely with ceramicists to develop the wares used in Hemelhuijs. What do you as a chef and food artist bring to the medium?

I think the knowledge of food adds tremendous value to the creation of tableware. It really all goes hand-in-hand.

Many of the ceramic designs you have made do not follow traditional homeware shapes. How do these unusual eating vessels in turn influence your cooking and food presentation?

As a chef, one can get inspired by the design of a plate and let it guide you on what would look wonderful in it. The first impressions that count are visual.

For inspiration on shapes, I draw as far back as the 4th-century BC. The ideal is for good tableware to perfectly balance form and function and, most importantly, bring pleasure to the user.

What can diners expect from the Hemelhuijs menu this spring?

The spring menu is filled with fresh salads. Superimposed simplicity is the inspiration behind flavours. Think fresh vegetable platters with vegetable dips and pates, and a touch of the French eclectic.

Running daily at Hemelhuijs from Monday 1 October to Friday 5 October, the first diners to order lunch each day, with a copy of the new VISI in hand, will get 50% off their meal.

Hemelhuijs 71 Waterkant Street, Cape Town, www.hemelhuijs.co.za

More from the SPRING FLING edition of VISI

• New and second-cycle
  Renovation and interior design is seldom a stagnant, once-off affair. The best spaces grow into themselves.
• Deft blue strokes
  Fabric, surfboards, shacks… Something is afoot, and not just in South Africa! From Babylonstoren to Russia, browse our full Delft trend report.
• Popcorn architecture
  We have inspiration from the Architecture ZA 2012 Biennial Festival to share. Read our report back. 
• Mechanical futurism
  Some say steampunk is what happened when Goths discovered brown. Others say it grew out of a literary genre. 
• Joburg Art Attack
  For at least one week in September, Joburg was hit by an art attack. 
• Winning wishes
  In October, Warren Lewis will be giving away four paintings. Up for grabs over the next two months is a Bodum Bistro Coffee Maker from Banks Kitchen Boutique.