{"id":844946,"date":"2025-11-30T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=844946"},"modified":"2025-11-30T10:03:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T08:03:02","slug":"the-south-african-restaurateur-who-was-just-named-an-international-woman-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/844946\/the-south-african-restaurateur-who-was-just-named-an-international-woman-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"The South African restaurateur who was just named international Woman of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jennifer Hug\u00e9, co-founder and Service & Beverage Director of FYN Restaurant, has been named the 2026 Woman of the Year by Relais & Ch\u00e2teaux and Pommery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She won the award for what\u00a0Relais & Ch\u00e2teaux and Pommery described as exemplary mentoring.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The awards are given by France-based hotel group Relais & Ch\u00e2teaux and champagne maker Pommery, with awards given to those who perpetuate the Relais & Ch\u00e2teaux Experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relais & Ch\u00e2teaux and Pommery noted that Hug\u00e9 has been elevating FYN to the ultimate heights of Cape Town\u2019s culinary establishment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is known as the \u201cMother of Service\u201d in South Africa, and trains many of the city\u2019s best managers and sommeliers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to her knowledge of local vineyards and her mastery of mixology, she compiles lists of exclusive wines, cocktails and mocktails that combine French finesse with South African hospitality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FYN said that Hug\u00e9 standing among the industry\u2019s most influential leaders is a source of immense pride. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The restaurant said that her talent, integrity, relentless pursuit of excellence and the deep humanity she brings embody everything that the award represents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FYN said that her leadership continues to pave the way for a more progressive industry and that the company is honoured to walk alongside her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis award is not mine alone – I share it with my entire team,\u201d said Hug\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheir trust, commitment, and heart are the reason our dining room feels the way it does. Every service is a collective achievement, and this recognition belongs to all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hug\u00e9 is originally from France, where she studied marketing and finance. Although she was supposed to return to France to study, she said that South Africa \u201ccaught her.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During her nearly twenty years at La Colombe, Hug\u00e9’s career progressed from runner to General Manager at La Colombe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I fell in love with this country, and it became home. I built a friendship family, and fell in love with what South Africa has to offer in terms of wine and food,\u201d said Hug\u00e9<\/a> in a previous interview. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is also constantly evolving and getting better and better. I felt my French roots and passion could be valuable in South Africa’s vibrant hospitality scene. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the best in the world<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Jennifer Hug\u00e9 – 2026 Woman of the Year by Relais & Ch\u00e2teaux and Pommery (Source: FYN)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

FYN is not only one of the best restaurants in South Africa, but is regularly named among the world\u2019s best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The restaurant was envisioned by Peter Tempelhoff, who now serves as the patron chef. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The restaurant was also co-founded by Hug\u00e9 and culinary director Ashley Moss, who believed in Templehoff\u2019s vision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FYN was recently ranked alongside La Colombe and Salsify in the Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveller\u2019s World\u2019s Best Restaurant Awards for 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also regularly included in the World\u2019s 50 Best restaurants. It was named the best restaurant in 2022 and received the Most Sustainable Restaurant Award in 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The eatery has a bold vision of infusing Japanese styling with sometimes South African ingredients, some of which are ancient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJapanese cooking has always appealed to me because of its cleanliness: the clean lines and the simple techniques,\u201d Tempelhoff said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019ve always warmed towards their culture, the culture of looking after each other, and always striving to be the best you can be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The combination of a clean, simple design with local flavour and history is the foundational element of FYN. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have amazing regions where people have been foraging for thousands of years and living off the land. If we can bring some of that and put it on the plate, that\u2019s our vision,” added Tempelhoff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FYN Patron Chef Peter Tempelhoff, service and beverage director Jennifer Hug\u00e9, and culinary director Ashley Moss<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
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FYN co-founder Jennifer Hug\u00e9 has been named as the Woman of the Year by Relais & Ch\u00e2teaux and Pommery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":844948,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"idle","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"","_sma_x_attempts":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[18544],"class_list":["post-844946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-fyn"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/844946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=844946"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/844946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":845097,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/844946\/revisions\/845097"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/844948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=844946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=844946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=844946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}