Big Easy Winebar & Grill Executive Chef Janine Fourie was born in South Africa. She completed her in-service training, as well as professional chef diploma at the Granger Bay Hotel School in Cape Town and has spent the last 17 years gaining valuable local and international culinary experience, front and back of house. She joined Protea Hotels International in 1998.
At the end of 2002, Janine travelled to the UK. Inspired and eager to learn she was overwhelmed by the vast variety of fresh ingredients available. As Jnr sous chef at the Ramada Hotel in Docklands, she worked side by side with internationally acclaimed Michelin star Belgian Chef, Steve Van Remoortel, enriching her culinary knowledge.
Two years later she returned to South Africa as executive chef at Stonehill Restaurant. During her first year, the restaurant was awarded Top 100 Restaurants in South Africa, and an American Express Fine Dining award.
In 2010 she moved to the award-winning, five-star Diva Maldives (renamed LUX* Maldives) as executive sous chef, after which she joined the prestigious luxury cruise line, Silversea. She completed three consecutive contracts between 2012-2014, travelling extensively from Asia and South America, to Europe and Antarctica, leading a brigade of 45 chefs and managing five outlets. With Silversea's affiliation with Relais &Chateaux, food standards were always to the highest level of service.
Her most recent position was as executive chef for two restaurants at the Knai Bang Chatt Hotel, an 18-room, boutique hotel in Kep, Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand.
