FROM LONDON’S MICHELIN-STARRED DORIAN TO PAARL: MIKE SHIER RETURNS HOME TO REIMAGINE SCAPE RESTAURANT

South Africa, Paarl, 22 October 2026; After eight years in London, culminating in a Head Chef role at Michelin-starred Dorian, Mike Shier is coming home with a clear ambition; to create food that captures the pleasure and generosity of eating in the Winelands.

This October, the South African chef joins VONDELING at Vrymansfontein as Executive Chef, bringing the confidence and experience developed in some of London’s most exciting kitchens to SCAPE. He will also oversee the food offering across The Shed, Tree Bar and private gatherings, giving each its own expression of his flavour-first approach.

At SCAPE, his vision combines technically accomplished cooking with the warmth and conviviality of a bistro, allowing the ingredients, the setting and his own culinary instincts to shape what comes next.

“London has been wildly formative beyond my dreams, but the plan has always been to come home to South Africa, where family and friends are,” says Mike. “I feel there’s a certain responsibility being South African, having gone abroad and being exposed to so much, to bring that back and share it with a new generation of chefs. The fact that we have such phenomenal produce to work with here makes this an even more natural and exciting move for me.”

London experience. Cape instinct.

Mike returns to the Cape with serious credentials. At Notting Hill’s Dorian, he worked with Executive Chef Max Coen, rising to Head Chef and forming part of the leadership team that earned and retained a Michelin star. In 2026, Dorian ranked third in the UK at the annual National Restaurant Awards.

Known for its confident cooking and lively neighbourhood atmosphere, Dorian brought exacting standards together with the easy pleasure of dining out. That balance will inform Mike’s approach at SCAPE.

Before Dorian, Mike worked for the South-African-inspired restaurant group, the Kudu Collective, first as Head Chef at the popular Kudu restaurant in Peckham, London, and then going on to be part of the team that launched the fire-based Kudu Grill. Earlier, he led the kitchen at Cape Town’s Hog House Brewing Company, developing his expertise in smoking, barbecue and wood-fired cooking.

An extraordinary setting for a Cape Winelands bistro

Set on a working almond farm on the southern slopes of Paarl Mountain, SCAPE looks out across a sweeping landscape towards the Simonsberg and Table Mountain. Big skies, farmland and distant mountain silhouettes create an extraordinary setting for Mike’s next chapter.

From the covered terrace, the landscape opens up around you. Inside, SCAPE’s considered design draws on the colours and textures of its surroundings, connecting the space to the countryside beyond. It is a place to take in the view, order another glass and give lunch the afternoon it deserves.

With Vondeling wines on the table and the Winelands stretching out before you, the setting gives Mike’s cooking a compelling sense of place.

Accomplished cooking with room to explore

Mike is drawn to the freedom of bistro cooking, the opportunity to follow an ingredient, explore an idea and let the menu evolve naturally. His ambition for SCAPE is food that is delicious, flavour-forward and moreish, with classical foundations and the confidence to draw on influences wherever they make a dish better.

Bistronomy offers a useful expression of that philosophy, serious, technically accomplished cooking served with the ease of a bistro. SCAPE’s identity will grow from the food itself, the produce, Vrymansfontein and the Cape, with room for Mike’s ideas to develop.

“My background means there will always be classical technique in the cooking, but I also draw inspiration from much further afield. I’m just as comfortable working with shio koji or garum as I am with waterblommetjies, bokkoms or rooibos. Ultimately, it comes down to whether it makes the food taste better.”

The region’s farms, orchards, coastline and wild landscapes will provide inspiration, while a planned Cape Pantry will capture ingredients at their seasonal best. Vinegars, konfyt, ferments, atchars, cordials, pickles and preserves will carry those flavours into the months ahead. A frequent forager during his years in the UK, Mike is also eager to explore local wild ingredients.

Cooking over fire will remain part of his repertoire, drawing on skills developed in Cape Town and London.

“I love the primal and analogue nature of cooking with fire, but it also requires a lot more skill to work with it successfully, particularly in a restaurant,” he says.

For guests, the promise is thoughtful food with character, served in an atmosphere that feels welcoming and relaxed, whether gathering friends for a long lunch or returning for dinner and a favourite bottle.

A homecoming with purpose

Mike’s ambitions extend beyond the menu. He returns determined to share his experience, develop young chefs and build a kitchen where curiosity is encouraged and people feel valued.

“Leadership is a huge part of running a successful restaurant, I want Vondeling at Vrymansfontein to be a place that attracts those who want to learn, cook great food and feel valued as individuals and team members,” he says.

His arrival brings fresh momentum to the estate, connecting a chef returning with experience and ideas to an extraordinary landscape and a restaurant ready to give those ambitions a home.

Mike Shier’s SCAPE menu launches on 13 November 2026. 

To reserve your SCAPE table and for more information about VONDELING at Vrymansfontein, visit www.vondeling.com.

For press and media assistance, contact Ian and Lise Manley of Manley Communications Atelier at premierbrands@publicity.co.za.

EDITOR’S NOTES

Vondeling and Vrymansfontein have always been part of the same story. Now, Vondeling’s wines and Vrymansfontein’s signature hospitality share one name: VONDELING at Vrymansfontein.

Vondeling’s wines are produced at its sister estate in the Voor-Paardeberg, approximately 25 kilometres away, while Vrymansfontein is its home of hospitality in the Paarl Valley, encompassing SCAPE, Tree Bar, The Shed, Vondeling Cellar Door and private gatherings.

ENDS/