Flor De Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award for FYN

PETER TEMPELHOFF and team’s FYN restaurant was presented with The World’s 50 Best coveted Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award in Valencia last week, in acknowledgement of the far-reaching sustainability philosophy underpinning its combination of South African and Japanese flavours and techniques.

With the emergence of sustainability as a dominant global dining trend, The World’s 50 Best has sought to commend restaurants achieving the highest environmental and social responsibility ratings, as determined by its audit partner, the Sustainable Restaurant Association. The World’s 50 Best is the benchmark globally, thanks to its panel of culinary experts including leading restaurant critics, chefs, restaurateurs, and gourmets from 27 regions worldwide. 

This accolade follows the announcement of FYN’s placing, for the third consecutive year since its opening in 2018, on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Top 100 list. This annual reveal of the world’s finest restaurants provides a snapshot of some of the best destinations for unique culinary experiences. All listed establishments were invited to enter the Sustainable Restaurant Award, and were assessed across the pillars of sourcing, society and environment.

Delicately balancing the wildness of Africa with Japanese refinement in its seasonally led kaiseki-style menu, FYN’s cuisine is deeply rooted in its locale, which it honours through conscious sourcing of native ingredients from the Western Cape. Suppliers have been selected according to careful criteria, ranging from Abalobi, South Africa’s first community-supported fishery, to the regenerative-principled Meuse Farm for vegetables, Cape Wagyu for free-range, pasture-reared cattle, and responsibly harvested dune spinach, sea lettuce and kelp.  

“FYN is about balancing authenticity and innovation,” says Tempelhoff, who shares the accolade with his partners, culinary director Ashley Moss and service and beverage director Jennifer Hugé. 

“This award is huge for FYN, it’s also unexpected and I feel a little unprepared for it… but, it does lay the gauntlet down for us to continue on our current trajectory with every fiber of the restaurant’s being. To continue our work with the communities, the fishermen, the farmers, the foragers and of course our dedicated staff who we’ve grown so close to over the past few years is the real reason why we’ve won this fantastic award, and I dedicate this to them.”

For Tempelhoff, sustainability is not a matter of “box-ticking” when it comes to sourcing ingredients but rather a deeper mindset that encompasses an entire ecosystem, from suppliers to staff. “It’s also about providing work for people, keeping villages alive, and providing hope,” he adds. It’s a philosophy he applies not only to FYN’s support of small fishermen and farmers in the Western Cape, but also closer to home. “We care about where our staff come from and where they’re going. Although hailing from diverse backgrounds, all see themselves as unified in our common pursuit of creating a unique experience for our guests.”

FYN joins a respected circle of global establishments at the fore of sustainable hospitality in earning this title, including chef Ángel León’s three-Michelin-starred Aponiente in Spain, chef Rodolfo Guzmán’s acclaimed restaurant Boragó in Chile, and Andreas Caminada’s three-Michelin-starred Schloss Schauenstein in Switzerland.  

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