New restaurant pulls out all the stops at grand opening
The grand opening of The Patio Restaurant, an evening praised for its elegance and taste bud-enticing nature, delighted all last Wednesday evening.
The owner of the well-known Orange Restaurant, Lee-Ann van Zweel, will in future also be known for The Patio Restaurant located in the stylish Christie’s at 32 on Russel guest house.
Surrounded by lush gardens and swimming pools, the restaurant has been open for some time, but Van Zweel said they were finally ready for the grand opening when Spring Day arrived.
The evening was attended by the who’s who of the Lowveld with a surprise guest also virtually joining the party from Atlanta, Georgia in the United States.
Lee-Ann van Zweel and Pinky Phosa.
The former municipal manager, Neil Diamond, who currently serves as the president of the South African Chamber of Commerce in America had sent Van Zweel a video congratulating her on the opening. He said he could not wait for his next visit to the country when he would once again be able to dine at her table.
Van Zweel herself said she could not have hoped for a better evening.
“It was a huge success and everything I wanted. But I must tell you, my team is fantastic. They know how I want something done and then they do it that way.”
Not only is the restaurant splendid in its surroundings, but the delectable food can be enjoyed from breakfast at 07:00 right through to dinner until 21:00.
Van Zweel mentioned what an honour it is to run a restaurant in a place with so much history. The guest house was formerly the Christie’s home, which they then converted into a guest house.
They initially had a few tables available for guests’ breakfast but got so busy that they decided to approach Van Zweel for a full-time restaurant. She gladly accepted.
As one of her staff members, Sally-Ann Levett, mentioned in the welcoming speech Covid-19 has been tough on all, especially for those in the hospitality industry, “and yet, here we stand with a new project under magnificent Lee-Ann.
“She is a woman to admire, and we, her staff, are all very proud to be her ambassadors. With The Patio Restaurant we are striving for greatness, panache, a sense of style, and a place for all of you to celebrate your special occasions.”
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To embody this goal, a testing menu was prepared for guests including duck, oxtail, lamb shank, pasta beef stroganoff a variety of desserts and more.
Pinky Phosa also had a turn at the microphone and sang Van Zweel’s praise. She has known Van Zweel for quite some time and it is safe to say the restaurant owner is one of her go-to caterers that never disappoints.
“Lee-Ann is a successful women and entrepreneur in the Lowveld and Mpumalanga. Thank you for being a progressive and creative thinker in the food industry.”
