Food & Home Entertaining

INTEREST
GEORGE CATZAVELOS
OF ST GEORGE’S FINE FOODS
By Lisa van der Knaap
George Catzavelos opened The Highwayman
restaurants in Johannesburg and now runs
St George’s Fine Foods.
“Like many Greeks, my father used to run a corner café in
Sea Point. He sublet premises to a talented Hollander, Hans.
“Watching Hans really piqued my interest,” George recalls.
“He had a grill in the window, unheard
of at the time, cooked and chatted to
customers. I loved the ‘theatre’ of it all.
I moved to Johannesburg to join my late
brother, Theo, in a small restaurant,
The Brow, in Hillbrow. Original, hey?”
George decided to open The
Highwayman Steakhouse in Craighall
Park in 1971. “The irst year was really
tough, but things suddenly turned around
and we were voted one of the top-three
restaurants in Johannesburg. This was deinitely one of my
most memorable moments.
“There have been many changes over the years. Meat is
much leaner, our network of staff was extensive and loyal
and, also, owner-run establishments are much, much rarer.
Possibly a personal element has been lost,” says George.
Since the late Seventies, George has been running his
meat-marinade company, St George’s Fine Foods. His sons,
Nic and Adam, joined the company and it remains in family
“ The integral pillars of
the business were and
are position, vision
and persistence.”
hands. Having absorbed food- and restaurant ropes, as well as
spent a few years in the States, Nic opened The Smokehouse
and Grill in Braamfontein in 2013. Adam contributes his input
and, although George isn’t actively involved, he goes in
whenever he can.
His signature stamp on the industry? “My legendary steaks.
I drove my suppliers mad, insisting on hand-picking all of my
meat requirements. I loved the open lame, banter with
GEORGE CATZAVELOS
customers, most of whom became regulars,” George says
with a nostalgic smile.
Going forward, George believes the integral pillars of
the business were and are position, vision and persistence.
“It’s a great game, but a tough one. Ask any of the ‘old boys’.”
ST GEORGE’S FINE FOODS, 21A 11TH ROAD, KEW,
JOBURG; 011-440-8661; STGEORGESFINEFOODS.COM;
THE SMOKEHOUSE AND GRILL, 73 JUTA STREET, JOBURG;
011-403-1395; THESMOKEHOUSEANDGRILL.CO.ZA