Thirty one awards were presented to Cape Town, Winelands, and Garden Route Restaurants at the American Express Platinum Fine Dining Awards for 2016.

From next year the event will be named, Platinum Taste Awards, and seven new award categories will be introduced. This year the Western Cape has two new Award winners in La Mouette (a StreetSmart Top 5 restaurant in 2014) and The Kitchen at Maison.

We congratulate all Amex Award winners, and are especially proud of our 16 StreetSmart partners!

Cape Town:  95 Keerom Street, Aubergine, Azure at the Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa, Bistro Sixteen82, Bistrot Bizerca, Bombay Brasserie, Buitenverwachting, Catharina’s,  De Grendel Restaurant, GOLD Restaurant, Il Leone, Kitima, La Colombe, La Mouette, Myoga, Nobu, Planet Restaurant, Signal Restaurant, The Greenhouse.

Winelands: 96 Winery Road, Bosman’s, Bread & Wine, Delaire Graff Restaurant, Fraai Uitzicht 1798, Grande Provence, Jordan Restaurant, Makaron, Overture, Pierneef à La Motte, Reubens (Franschhoek), Rust en Vrede, The Kitchen at Maison, The Tasting Room, Waterkloof.

Garden Route: Mimosa Lodge, Pembreys, Serendipity, Su Casa, The Kurland Hotel Restaurant, The Pavilion, Transkaroo, Zinzi.

Well done to ALL!                                #EAT OUT, HELP OUT

REF: www.whalecottage.com/blog/cape-town/american-express-platinum-fine-dining-awards-2016-2017-platinum-taste-awards-to-challenge-eat-out-awards/

Sabelo left school in Grade 10 and he joined the Kids Haven Youth Development programme in October 2014. Initially, Sabelo assisted the Kids Haven driver with the collections of donations. This provided him with the experience of working a full day job and he was taught how to take instructions, how to be punctual and courteous. He quickly learned first-hand that WORK is not the same as school!  At the Youth Assembly in December, Sabelo spoke about how he felt at school. He said that he felt “dumb” and so frustrated but at Kids Haven’s Youth programme funded by StreetSmart SA, life changed for him. Given the opportunity to work, he gained skills and earned money.

It was a battle to motivate Sabelo to start the Youth Skills Programme at first, but over the past six months he has learned more about himself and the working world. Sabelo received 4 certificates for completing 4 different activities:  Financial planning, a 3-month welding course, a life skills Work-4-A-Living certificate and the bronze certificate in The President’s Award. Kids Haven was able to acquire these opportunities for Sabelo with the help of StreetSmart. This equipped Sabelo with what he needed to make it out in the world and provided him with a prospect of independence ahead of him.

After recommendation from Kids Haven, Sabelo was offered a bi-monthly gardening job which he accepted. His employer sent this feedback: “We want to let you know how impressed we are with Sabelo, thank you he is a star! He really made such a great effort, was on time, arrived with snacks for himself and worked the garden we neglected for months all in a couple of hours. Not to mention how polite he is and I liked that he took initiative.” Sabelo is now working with his brother-in-law for his locksmith business on a full time basis. 

The partnership between StreetSmart and Kids Haven brings life-changing opportunities to young people with extremely limited options. This project is the key to helping young people with very little formal education, to become equipped with practical skills which gives them a head start in the working world. 

www.kidshaven.org.za

ooOoo

 In September 2014, a 2-year-old, healthy boy was found alone on a Saturday morning by the police outside the local welfare office. As he needed a place to stay urgently, he was taken to one of our Home from Home houses as a place of safety. He had no identification documents or clothing with him, only the items he was wearing.

The local social workers tried to find out who he was by advertising in the local newspapers, but no one knew him or where he came from and no biological family members came forward. Since there was no other option for him, he has stayed at our foster home since then and instead of being left on the streets - a dangerous situation to be in for such a young child, he is in a loving, caring home.

He loves Rynette, his foster mom and sees her as his mother and has also bonded well with the four other children in the home. It is wonderful to see him as part of a family.

He will be starting crèche next year, so rather than staying on the streets, alone and at risk to being taken by people who may be abusive, he is safe and cared for and has the opportunity to be stimulated in terms of his cognitive growth, develop healthily and have a better future ahead of him.

Emily Partridge, Winelands Social Worker