Kerry Kilpin

Kerry Kilpin

As Steenberg Executive Chef, Kerry Kilpin is at the helm of the two restaurants on this landmark Constantia wine farm, appealing to all tastes from refined contemporary dining at Tryn to bistro-style fare and tapas at the popular Bistro Sixteen82.

She describes her food as “contemporary classics with a twist” bursting with fresh seasonal flavours. Kerry loves exploring new ingredients discovered on trips abroad. A visit to Thailand was instrumental in developing her signature Asian influence in her food, while a culinary visit to Barcelona fired new enthusiasm for her popular tapas menu. Even when she is not travelling, Kerry is in constant search of new ingredients, flavours, textures and taste experiences she can infuse into her dishes. She creates food with an inimitable contemporary spirit that is seasonal, flavourful and bursts with freshness.

Kerry’s profound passion for ethically sourced fish shines through in all her menus.

In 2017, Bistro Sixteen82 became the first restaurant to partner with ABALOBI, the small-scale fisher initiative directly supplying chefs with responsible and traceable fish.

Straight after matriculating in Grahamstown in 2000, Kerry honed her culinary skills at Silwood School of Cookery in Cape Town. During her internship year in 2003, she worked under seasoned chef and mentor, Franck Dangereux at La Colombe, who soon promoted her to sous chef. In 2004, Kerry left La Colombe to join Franck as head chef for the opening of his popular Foodbarn in Noordhoek where they worked side by side till 2014. Her career path finally led her to Steenberg in November 2014 when she took over the reins as executive chef at Bistro Sixteen82. In 2018, Kerry was promoted to Steenberg Executive Chef.