I remember hearing Matty Matheson once say that chefs make the best restaurateurs – and this truth extends to all the key roles and skill sets that make up the dining experience. Hospitality is not for the faint-hearted; and many just pass through this profession as means to an end, mostly in their early 20s. Then, there are those who stay; who find their passion and pathway within the energetic, high-pressure / high-stakes business of food & wine – and those rare people, whose professional grit is forged in the intensity of the kitchen, or the spin-like dance of service on the floor, or behind the bar – learn to speak their own language and observe subtleties the rest of us may never know. Subtleties of client’s responses in a single gesture, or the nuances of flavours, or the dynamics among staff – a sharpened intuition of how people want to experience what they themselves are unsure of; to me, working in a restaurant is an artform. 

Mastering the craft of hospitality is exemplified by sommelier Jemma Styer and chef Jes Doveton – two women who have spent the last few years learning, adapting and growing within the melting-pot of the restaurant and bar realm, a realm that has kept calling them back to pursue food and wine; over and over again. Now, in a dream that is fast becoming reality, Jemma and Jes are gearing up to open their Joburg food and wine bar: Acid. The name is taken from the essentiality of acid as a balancing component across food and wine – forget psychedelics – the term in this context is incisive, and speaks straight to the heart of their respective expertise. I think of Samin Nosrat’s Salt Fat Acid Heat & how cooking, overall, as a craft has burst wide open across TV, Youtube and in books – good food and wine are a birthright, and Jemma and Jes are custodians of this sentiment, with vision to share it in a pared back, considered and inclusive setting.

Jes is self-taught, and cooking has been a natural reflex that she honed out of curiosity and persistence. It’s also deeply personal and healing – as she says, “My mom is Thai, and it was something I was quite embarrassed about as a kid. As I got older, I realised that what I learned through food from my mom – as it was the biggest way we connected – was a huge lesson I’d been learning all that time in the balancing of flavour and importance of ingredients. Asian food in general is a mastery in salt, sourness, sweetness and spice, and it’s a key part of the way I’ve learned to cook and experience food. Balance has informed how I approached cooking, and when I went onto to work at restaurants on the floor and later as a consultant.” Having worked on yachts and shifting from a stewardess to a chef, Jes’ experience of managing a full-scale kitchen space has since been an important aspect of her work as a consultant. Streamlining processes and preparation – Jes’ dedication to incredible food combines functionality and dynamism, a central tenet to the custom kitchens being built for Acid.

Jemma is a prolific sommelier in Johannesburg – having been catapulted into the space by chance, when she was sent on a wine course by the restaurant she worked at during university. Now, a few years later, Jemma is a trusted fixture on Joburg’s wine scene – mostly recently and notably known for taking Coalition Pizza’s wine repertoire to a considered level. On this, Jemma says, “Working with the guys at Coalition, focusing on wine, was great because the space is simple – it’s incredible pizza, and so the wine needed to reflect that. When they decided to cut their Rosebank store in half, and make one side an Italian wine bar, Flor was born.” Armed with the skillset, experience and qualifications – a trio of requirements for the exceptional complement that a sommelier is to a restaurant – Jemma matches Jes in an incredible way. After a chance meeting, and a few glasses of wine shared over time, the two decided to collaborate; somehow, someway. With mutual admiration and understanding of a shared vision; Acid has been born out of their desire to seed a space that works: that is welcoming, aesthetically compelling and original, and of course – draws back down to the ever-lasting dance between food and wine. In a surprising way, when all of us are wanting to make every idea we have happen, Acid has seen a pretty seamless development from concept to actualisation, Jes says, “We have had challenges, of course. But these are obstacles that we have overcome together.” Jemma adds, “We have had moments where we are like, how are we going to solve this? But, there has never been a moment in which we said we can’t do this.” While it’s an unfortunate trope of the society we find ourselves in – it has to be said and acknowledged that being a female-led business in a notoriously masculine, boisterous industry is a critical contribution to hospitality in South Africa.

Encouraged by their respective networks and friends – Acid is being realised through Jemma, Jes and Tag Design Architects – alongside their creative strategist, Lineo Kakole. Set to open in early October, their recent launch event was an immense success; with DJ sets played by friends, and punctuated – of course – by beautiful food and wine. The event set the tone for what is to come – the unbridled joy and community that surrounds the unmatched role that food and wine plays in the human experience. On how the wine will play a part, Jemma says, “We will be focusing on female producers and producers of colour – and offer a wide range of unusual and regular wines. We will have a small set menu, with everything by the glass, and then a rotated menu every couple of weeks around a certain theme. I want people to come in and be able to get some education about wine in an encouraging environment.” and for the food, Jes explains, “I really don’t like the term ‘asian fusion’ – but given my background and cooking style, asian cooking will be a central reference, but I’m endlessly curious about food and flavours around the world – so, it’s probably best described as ‘ global food’. I don’t want to set myself limitations, and it will be small plates – with a few mains – and non-negotiably, oysters. Dressed oysters will be permanent. I’m building a framework which can be adapted – to establish familiar dishes that will be Acid’s regulars, but using varying ingredients with respects to seasons and mood.”

With a specific focus on hiring and upskilling their staff, and integrity as a remedy for the often intense pressure of the restaurant business – Acid is marking a new wave of young-ownership, female-led hospitality – and the space itself? Without giving too much away: retro yet timeless, warm and inviting – unusual – and most importantly, the stage for an incredible future for Acid.

Written by: Holly Bell Beaton

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