indwe magazine – May 2005

Chef Bernhard Hess
Montagu's Swiss-trained Chef
Text: Sam Weber
Image: © Rovos Rail
For years the Mimosa Lodge in Montagu has been synonymous with the town’s old-world charm and serene ambiance. The award winning Mimosa Lodge not only offers the finest accommodation in the Robertson Wine Valley, but also has its own resident Swiss trained chef, specialising in Continental cuisine.
Chef Bernhard Hess is a chef extraordinaire, who previously served in some of the most exclusive restaurants in Johannesburg, Cape Town and his native Switzerland. And like his cuisine, the superb reputation of Mimosa Lodge, which he co-owns with his wife, Fida, is built on attention to detail, personal service and superb cuisine.
Trained at the Swiss Hotel School in Lucerne, Bernhard later worked under acclaimed Chef Jörn Pless at the restaurant Ma Cuisine in Johannesburg, where he gained valuable experience in managing both kitchen and dining room. Today the dining room is the domain of Fida, leaving Bernhard to focus on his first love, transforming fresh ingredients into mouth-watering dishes that can compare with the best in the world. And with a large garden with more than 200 plant species on the spacious grounds, fresh ingredients is what provides Chef Bernhard with the edge over most other chefs. Most of the salads and vegetable dishes originate from Bernhard’s lovingly tended garden.
Fine dining also requires fine wine, and so an old water reservoir with heavy walls from natural stone has been converted into a Wine Cellar, where superb wines have been put down for the perfect match with an excellent dinner. Rumour has it that Chef Bernard are now in the process of blending his own Mimosa wine. And if his wine is anything like his cuisine, it will have superlative written all over it.
The Hess couple still have many dreams for the Mimosa, including a larger restaurant and chef’s school. They are also planning on hosting a ‘chef’s retreat’ for visiting tourists eager to develop their own skills in the kitchen under the watchful eye of a professional chef.
Chef Bernhard serves a 5-course meal for dinner every night of the week, but given its popularity with guests and tourists alike, bookings are essential. His hearty breakfast buffet offers freshly baked bread, pastries and other homemade treats, with the cooked breakfast freshly prepared on individual request.
Mimosa Lodge also provides the perfect venue to meet the needs of those very special events such as anniversaries, weddings, reunions, gourmet weekends and weekend retreats.
The Mimosa Lodge with its imposing Edwardian double-storey house is located just a stone’s throw from the imposing Dutch Reformed Church in the very centre of Montagu. Apart from Chef Bernhard’s superlative cuisine, Mimosa offers four star luxury accommodation within a beautiful and country like setting. The exceptionally spacious garden includes a pool and a Boules pitch, and provides a splendorous view over the surrounding mountains.
Top >