At Vergenoegd Löw, time moves differently. Set just outside Stellenbosch, where the vineyards stretch toward the Atlantic, the estate exudes a rare silence, tranquillity, and privacy, a refuge where heritage, nature, and thoughtful design meet in quiet harmony.
Now, this storied property is preparing to unveil a new gastronomic era under the direction of talented executive chef Michelle Theron, whose vision for food and hospitality is deeply attuned to the spirit of the farm.
Since joining in mid-2025, Theron has been reimagining Vergenoegd Löw’s culinary landscape, not through loud reinvention, but through a return to authenticity, connection, and calm refinement. Her philosophy is rooted in simplicity, sustainability, and seasonality, allowing each ingredient to speak softly yet with purpose. The result is a gastronomy that reflects the stillness of the farm itself: elegant, soulful, and profoundly South African.
“My vision here is about harmony,” she explains. “Harmony between food and wine, people and place, luxury and simplicity. Everything begins with what we grow, raise, and create on the farm. It’s about generosity without excess, and beauty without noise.”
With over two decades of experience in leading high-end culinary establishments, Theron brings a distinctive creative vision and a deep respect for heritage, sustainability, and the South African table to one of the Cape’s oldest working farms.
Previously head chef at both Hazendal Wine Estate and Pierneef à La Motte, Theron has earned a reputation for crafting refined, soulful menus inspired by seasonal, local ingredients and authentic flavours. Her leadership style is grounded in collaboration, mentorship, and a commitment to culinary excellence.
“We’re thrilled to have Michelle join our team,” says Corius Visser, managing director of Vergenoegd Löw. “Her arrival coincides with an exciting new era for our gastronomy offering. One that reflects our farm’s timeless character and fertile soils, yet speaks in a fresh, modern idiom.”
A solid foundation
When new ownership took over Vergenoegd Löw in 2015, one of the most pressing priorities was the restoration of the estate’s historic Cape Dutch buildings, declared a National Monument in 1974. Once a collection of elegant yet time-worn 18th-century structures, they have since been meticulously revived under the guidance of heritage architectural specialists.
Extensive research was conducted into the farm’s past to ensure the buildings’ historical and structural integrity were preserved. Among the key references were the detailed paintings and sketches of Jan Brandes, a Dutch Lutheran minister and artist who lived on the farm between 1786 and 1787. His works, now housed in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, vividly document the farm’s architecture and rural life of the time.
The restorations revealed fascinating layers of history. Clara’s Barn, soon to continue its reputation as the farm’s signature dining venue, is believed to have been among the first barns ever built at the Cape, while Geuwels, recognisable by its twin side gables, once served as the original wine cellar. The 1773 Homestead, inscribed with its date on the gable, was historically the owner’s family residence, and today stands once again as the beating hospitality heart of the estate.
Following the restorations, the interiors of these structures are being reimagined to express their heritage through a refined contemporary lens. Each building will soon have a clear identity and purpose, united by an overarching sense of calm luxury, natural textures, and timeless design.
Respect for fresh, seasonal produce
Theron’s own culinary journey is steeped in Cape tradition. Her formative years on a family farm near Gansbaai instilled in her an appreciation for the simplicity of real food. Fresh bread, butter, milk straight from the cow, vegetables harvested that morning. “Those early memories shaped everything,” she reflects. “When ingredients are treated with care, you don’t have to do much. You just respect them.”
Her European training, particularly in Michelin-starred kitchens in The Netherlands, refined that instinct into a style that is both sophisticated and sincere. Elegant without pretence. At Vergenoegd Löw, she is translating that sensibility into an experience that honours both heritage and innovation, earth and ocean, craft and comfort.
“For me, it’s about how guests feel when they leave,” says Theron. “If they feel nourished, inspired, and content, then we’ve succeeded. That’s the heart of hospitality. Generous, beautiful simplicity.
“At Vergenoegd Löw, everything flows from our environment - the vineyards, the soil, the sea breeze. My mission is to express that through food that is authentic and grounded in nature.
“There’s a deep sense of peace that runs through this place. You feel it in the landscape; in the way people move and speak here. I want to let nature and its stillness shape every detail, so that what guests experience feels completely natural and deeply restorative.”
The next chapter
In early 2026, Vergenoegd Löw will formally introduce its newly refined hospitality offering under Theron’s direction.
The 1773 Homestead will become the tranquil centrepiece for staying guests, a private retreat of understated elegance where mornings begin with slow, thoughtful breakfasts and afternoons unfold over Homestead Farm Tea or Caviar & Cap Classique pairings, enjoyed beside the hearth or on shaded verandas overlooking indigenous gardens. Day visitors may pre-book experiences by contacting the estate in advance.
Geuwels is being re-envisioned as the heart of the estate’s wine and casual dining experience. Open daily from December 2025, also for immersive tasting experiences that showcase the sea-kissed character of Vergenoegd Löw’s wines, the restaurant will offer a farm-to-table menu driven by seasonal produce, embodying the farm’s ethos of regenerative growing and sustainability.
Here, guests will be able to explore signature pairings such as the Indigenous Food & Wine Experience, featuring seven wines, seven dishes, and seven stories that celebrate resilience, resourcefulness, and South African terroir. Other offerings will include artisanal cheese and charcuterie plates and platters, and Sunday Celebrations - plentiful harvest-style feasts where family and friends gather around abundant tables, raising glasses of wine that tell stories of the nearby Atlantic and lime-rich soils.
Finally, Clara’s Barn, the culinary flagship and home of luxury dining at Vergenoegd Löw, is where guests will be invited to savour a series of reimagined heritage, heirloom and classic small dishes, each with the accent on health, balance, freshness and originality.
As a farm-to-table restaurant, most of the ingredients come straight from the estate, cultivated according to regenerative, agroecological principles. These provisions are sustained by life-giving soils that nourish our livestock, vines, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers. What we can’t produce ourselves, we source from like-minded local suppliers to ensure a panoply of seasonal ingredients and flavours. The set menu will change frequently to mirror not just the seasons but the subtle, intra-seasonal changes on the farm. These dishes can be matched with wine flights designed to enhance the flavours of the food. Wines are selected from Vergenoegd Löw’s own cellars as well as those of its neighbours whose vinous values it shares.
“Our goal is to create a living expression of Cape hospitality. Refined yet real, where guests feel both inspired and at home,” says Theron. “Here, we cook what we grow, honour the land that sustains us, and celebrate the pleasures of food and connection.”
The result is a seamless experience of place, an enduring sanctuary where the past whispers through whitewashed walls and thatched roofs, and every space invites guests to pause, breathe, and reconnect with nature and stillness.