IN LATE NINETIES
Joburg, if you hung around Melville and Auckland Park, you might have noticed an intriguing restaurant called Superbonbon in nearby Richmond. I remember being fascinated by the name, did a bit of sleuthing and found out that they served a bowl of Coco Pops and milk (complete with a “prize”) for dessert, which appealed hugely to my 23-year-old self. Sadly, I never got to eat there, but always harboured a fair amount of admiration for anyone who would do such a fabulous thing.
That person was Andrea Burgener, who went on to open Deluxe in Parktown North, which later moved to Milpark’s 44 Stanley lifestyle centre. Andrea’s next project was The Leopard in Melville, which opened in 2011. Named for the eponymous Italian novel by Italian count Giuseppi di Lampedusa, The Leopard was beloved by diners looking for delicious, unpretentious food in a relaxed setting.
Andrea and her husband, Nick Gordon, decided to close The Leopard last year and then reincarnate it back at 44 Stanley as The Leopard Kitchen & Deli, which focuses on producing excellent-quality readymade meals, supplying responsibly sourced meat and dairy, interesting deli items and homemade cakes and biscuits. Their vision was the “restaurant at home”, which perfectly describes their philosophy: no frills or fanfare, just good, honest food. There’s also a small sit-down breakfast and lunch menu, as well as takeaway meals that service many a desk-bound office worker looking for sustenance. Think meatballs, chicken curry, chicken pie, mac and cheese, ricotta-and-spinach malfatti (similar to gnocchi dumplings, but made with ricotta and spinach), and quasi Mozambican peri-peri brinjal.
WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE CHANGE, ANDREA IS CANDID.
Running a full-service restaurant at night made it difficult to spend time together as a family (Andrea and Nick have three children – Jim, Holly and Tom) and there had been safety issues in their neighbourhood. “We weren’t eating together as a family,” she says, “the nights I was off, Nick was at the restaurant, and vice versa. It was like we were single parents! We’d have separate conversations with the kids, and they’d have these in-jokes with each other. I was feeling quite left out. Now we’re so happy to be home at the same time that supper is sometimes a bit late because we’re chatting over a gin and tonic. Our children are like Spanish children, eating so late, but their school hours don’t coincide!”
I have met Andrea a few times (my younger self can’t quite believe her luck) and each time I’ve been struck by her enthusiasm and passion for good food (the provenance of which is paramount) prepared well. This has always been her philosophy. “What we do best is make food taste good, that’s the focus of the business. I’ve never been a chef who does tricky plating. That’s never been my style. It’s all about where it comes from, how it’s farmed and what it tastes like.” And taste great it does. The Leopard’s fridge contains the kind of treasure trove that would induce serious choice anxiety if I lived or worked nearby.
Nick has always been involved in their ventures, but when they opened
NICK SMOKES BACON IN AN OLD FILING CABINET ON THE ROOF AND BEFORE WE HAD A HOT ROOM HE WAS MAKING CHORIZO IN OUR SHOWER. I ALSO FOUND SALAMI IN A SUITCASE IN THE GARAGE” – ANDREA BURGENER
at 44 Stanley, it was an opportunity to showcase his charcuterie skills, which he had been quietly honing for years – learning how to break down carcasses by watching videos on YouTube. Sourcing the best quality produce has always been non-negotiable in all their establishments and remains at the heart of what they do. All the pork they use is entirely free-range from a supplier near Hammanskraal. “The pigs live in family groups and forage for food; they couldn’t be happier,” says Andrea.
They get the whole carcass delivered and Nick has trained one of the kitchen crew to help him when volumes increase. They started off with a bang, making saucisse, salsiccia, salami and boerewors according to a traditional recipe that incorporates both lamb and pork fat.
Nick had to rein in his enthusiasm as they were struggling to move everything before its sell-by date. He doesn’t use any preservatives or binders and the products couldn’t be frozen as they would split. “Our dogs have eaten kilograms of free-range pork sausages over the years,” laughs Andrea. “In fact, when Nick isn’t 100% satisfied with the results he sells ‘salami for dogs’ from the shop. He also smokes bacon in an old filing cabinet on the roof at 44 Stanley and, when he first started, we didn’t have a hot room so he was making chorizo in the shower at home. I also found salami curing in a suitcase in the garage, it was the perfect warm, humid environment.”
Nick now concentrates on making bresaola, salami, bacon and rillettes, which are delicious spread on warm sourdough toast and served with pickles. “We’ve hit our stride now, we know what’s popular and what we can sell quickly so there’s minimal waste. And because we make everything ourselves, we can control the consistency and quality, which is very important.”
THE NEW LEOPARD HAS BEEN OPEN FOR JUST OVER A YEAR
and Andrea and Nick’s next step is to expand their delivery service. Currently, people can order online and have the food delivered, either by Uber Eats for once-off deliveries, or as a bulk order once a week. “We’re not good at delegating,” says Andrea, which is not necessarily a bad thing when quality and provenance are paramount, but the idea is to pass on this knowledge to staff so that Andrea and Nick are doing quality control and concentrating on expanding the business. “We feel like we’re keeping the essence of what we’re all about: it tastes great, and we care about where it comes from.”
They’re also working with Camilla Smolicz, a local vegetable supplier who grows vegetables on a plot in Rosebank to sell to locals. “People don’t know how to cook vegetables anymore.
How are you even alive if you’ve never cooked a brinjal?” Andrea exclaims. They’re already using this produce in the restaurant, and the aim is to sell weekly veggie boxes that customers can collect at the shop or have delivered.
Ultimately, The Leopard will be a place where you can get a delicious, wholesome meal, deli items such as freerange milk and butter, a post-prandial sweet treat (the white chocolate-andalmond brownies are a hit), and even a bottle of wine. It’s everything you want in your neighbourhood grocer. “People work so many more hours than they used to and if you don’t enjoy cooking, it’s really difficult,” says Andrea.
They’ve also had to expand their thinking regarding packaging, something they’d never had to do before. “I’ve
“PEOPLE DON’T KNOW HOW TO COOK VEGETABLES ANYMORE. HOW ARE YOU EVEN ALIVE IF YOU’VE NEVER COOKED A BRINJAL?” – ANDREA BURGENER
learnt a lot about finding containers that are environmentally friendly. We’re using PLA (polylactic acid) packaging, which is made from sugar or corn starch and is completely compostable, wherever possible. Sourcing responsible packaging is incredibly difficult,” says Andrea.
“The downside is that PLA can’t be heated in the microwave because it’ll melt, so people have to follow the instructions, which adds another barrier to being more waste conscious. We don’t want our food to become ‘inconvenient’ convenience food, so we have to rely on our customers to close the loop and be our partners in this journey.”
It’s heartening to hear sentiments like these and actually see them being put into practice. If anyone can convince people to eat food that’s better for them and the environment, I have no doubt that it is Andrea and Nick. Their passion and commitment are so contagious you can’t help but feel part of something bigger and more important than just your daily nutrition. Plus, the food is pretty damn delicious too.