Old school Hospitality in Kensington Joburg

His dad was a scientist and mom a teacher. They travelled a lot and saw most of Namibia, Malawi, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa during these travels. He developed a passion for the cultural experience and the different cuisines these countries and South Africa had to offer.

As children they never got pocket money unless they completed their chores over weekends. He delivered Newspapers as a way to earn more money as a child. Through these deliveries he learned many valuable lessons as a young Entrepreneur. He build up a huge customer base by getting up at 3am every morning to get the deliveries done by 6am on his bicycle. Even on Saturdays when they had to play rugby. The school was 15km further and this taught him some serious time management skills and customer care at a very early stage of his life.

 “The streets were child friendly and we grew up with freedom of movement but NOTHING came for free. We had to work very hard to achieve anything. This early entrepreneurial background instilled strict discipline into me.”

In 1991 he graduated from the Hotel School in Cape Town after which worked mainly in the food and beverage industry both locally and overseas, as well as remote parts of Africa. He found that the creativity that “cheffing” offered stimulated him the most. He ran several refurbishment projects in Africa for hotels and opened numerous restaurants for other entrepreneurs, until he decided to do his own thing.

“When I returned form Oman in 2006 after a two-year contract. I started Butcher block Steakhouse in Pietermaritzburg with a partner as the operator I eventually sold to him and could afford to open Butcher block in Rosebank. I built up the Butcher Block in Rosebank, Johannesburg into a formidable well renowned steakhouse. We learned something about “corporate bullying” when our small business could not renew the lease against a corporate giant, this resulted in us losing millions.”

Cut and Craft Bistro

When you enter this well-established “steam-punk” style restaurant in Kensington Johannesburg, you can feel the warmth. The staff is well trained and are well looked after. There are even a laundromat inside the restaurant where the staff’s uniforms gets washed and ready for wear the next day. Most of the staff has been there for a long time and values the environment. Locals testify about Nico being a pillar in the community and helps them liaise with the municipality regarding neighbourhood matters. The restaurant has a large local support base, there are literally customers that come there every single day, even if just for a good coffee, a glass of wine and the famous old-school hospitality. According to the locals Nico is quite a coffee, whiskey and wine expert and loves sharing his knowledge with them. There are live music on selected nights that makes it a popular gathering place for the community to meet. The locals see Nico as the ultimate host and restauranteur with a flair for making his customers feel like they entered a second home when they walk in. Besides the well-stocked bar, he has a book selection where his regulars can exchange books and just come there to sit and read. One can easily see why so many locals is besotted with this place and its charismatic owner that is always present at his business.

“In 2016 I saw an opportunity and purchased the building where Cut and Craft is currently situated in. We started off humbly and I also decided that most of the development will be done as the money came in. Cut and Craft grew annually up and until Covid lockdown with over hundred percent per annum. Covid was a torrid time, fortunately we managed to negotiate through the Lockdowns, and we are still thriving today.”

Visit www.cutcraftbistro.co.za to see more on our current Establishment.

Nico did all the designing for Cut and Craft that includes the full turnkey operation as well as the building development and décor. They are currently expanding into the AirBnB market down in Cape Town with their first unit set for completion at the end of 2023.

“I have always been an Anton Rupert Fan. I am a driver and like to lead from the front. I am a bit on the tough side, and I do not except low standards or low standards of performance, neither from myself or and any of my personnel. Customer service is never an easy thing to define as most of what you do relates to customer service, from the time you wake up in the morning till the time you sleep at night. The customer is the sole driver of your business and I live by a simple set of rules.

Rule 1) the customer is always right.

Rule 2) if the customer is indeed wrong, go back to rule number one. Simple, straight forward.”

Nico sees himself as very instinctive and analytical. “You need to be like that as an entrepreneur or you are sure to fail. Today’s climate is fast changing, and it is an (adapt or die) world we live in. I believe that no one owes me anything, hard work is the answer to life’s success. Don’t be scared to try, failing to try is far worse than trying and failing! Be the change, get your hands dirty and do it. No one but you are the maker of your destiny. Be kind, be courteous and most of all, love yourself first.”