JAN The Journal, Issue 16

JAN The Journal is Part lifestyle magazine, part coffee-table cookbook, the journal is a biannual publication that chronicles South African Michelin star chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen and his team’s creative journey.

In this issue:

BREAD AND BUTTER 

Bread and Butter, words that carry within them a kind of magic, an alchemy that turns the simplest elements of nature into nourishment, memory and meaning. There is something wonderful about watching butter soften, a small thrill in tearing open a warm loaf, steam curling into the air like a whispered secret from centuries ago. The pleasure of transforming yesterday’s bread into something entirely new, crisps, crumbs, custards, proof that almost nothing in the kitchen is ever truly lost. And the grounding comfort of a sandwich elevated by a thoughtful hand, each layer an invitation to savour, to slow down, to care.

In JAN the Journal Volume 16, we celebrate these everyday miracles. This edition is an ode to simplicity and a salute to the timeless craft of bakers, butter-makers, and home cooks who have kept these traditions alive through generations. But it is also a reflection on livelihood, the “bread and butter” that sustains us in the work we choose and the passions we pursue. For me, building the JAN world has been just that: a labour of love leavened with curiosity, creativity, and an enduring belief in the beauty of good food. Within these pages you’ll journey through the many faces of butter, rediscover the misunderstood story of bread, meet South Africa’s unsung master loaves, and explore how creativity rises when given just a moment of warmth. Here, in your hands, this Journal is both nourishment and inspiration, simple ingredients, thoughtfully combined, reminding us that the extraordinary is never far from reach. All we have to do is look closely, break the crust, and taste.