Alumnus: Allan Bezuidenhout and Simoné Vosloo

In 2011, two young students, Allan Bezuidenhout and Simoné Vosloo independently enrolled at Capsicum’s Nelson Mandela Bay campus. A few days later they found themselves in the same practical class and, while the mutual attraction was almost instant, it took Allan a few months to get the courage to ask Vosloo out on a date. The couple graduated in 2012 and a year later they got married. In 2015, after working in the corporate world and saving up their earnings, the Bezuidenhouts opened their own restaurant, Muse, named after the word meaning ‘inspiration’ to an artist. “Chefs are also artists, says Allan, “with the plates as our canvas and the food as our paint.” Having recently moved to a bigger space, the restaurant is now almost double its previous seating capacity and features a redesigned kitchen for easy flow. Next year Muse will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary and the two Capsicum alumni chef/owners put its success and longevity down to evolving and learning as they have gone along, always trying to improve the menu offerings to guests and give them an unforgettable dining experience. Meanwhile, Simoné has completed a BSc degree in Dietetics, but still keeps a close eye on Muse when it comes to standards and menu design, while Allan is looking forward to the time when he can free up some time to do consulting and have a small test kitchen to improve on recipes and dishes. The couple remain loyal to their old alma mater and currently 75% of their staff are Capsicum graduates who all did their industry placements with Muse and were employed fulltime thereafter.