Chef Justin Anthony is making

Photo: YouTube/CBS This Morning

Chef Justin Anthony is making waves with SA food in the US [video]

Justin Anthony relocated to the US at age 23 and opened the first South African restaurant in the United States in 1998.

Chef Justin Anthony is making

Photo: YouTube/CBS This Morning

Atlanta restauranteur Justin Anthony is not a trained chef but always thought food from South Africa might be a hit in the United States. He was proven right, expanding to four eateries in the city before the pandemic hit and turned his attention to something else — feeding his community and the health care workers on the front lines.

It is said that after he was originally born and raised in South Africa, Anthony relocated to the US at age 23. In 1998, he opened the first South African restaurant in the United States, 10 Degrees South, alongside his parents. In 2012, Justin opened Yebo Beach Haus and in 2015, he debuted his third restaurant, Cape Dutch. Biltong Bar is Justin’s most recent addition to the group, opening in early 2016, specializing in dry, aged beef jerky.

As of recently, just before the pandemic, Dana Jacobson from CBS This Morning sat down with Anthony to enjoy a culinary tour of South Africa by visiting his Biltong Bar.

Taking the ‘safari to America’

In the video, Anthony explains what biltong is and how it compares to beef jerky – a popular (and similar to biltong) snack in America.

“It’s kind of like a dry, aged steak….what is interesting is that on every street corner and butcher you go to []in South Africa], there’s just biltong everywhere.”

He describes South African cuisine as like taking your taste buds on safari.

His journey

In the video, Jacobson explains that sports initially brought Anthony to America.

“I moved [to Atlanta] to actually play professional soccer. I had a knee injury and I was struggling to play at the level I wanted to pay at, so I made a conscious decision that I was going to retire.”

From a soccer player to a waiter to a restaurateur

He then had an epiphany when making his next career move.

“My parents are chefs and I kind of grew up around it and so I decided that I was going to open up a South African pub/restaurant. And everyone thought I was crazy [when he did this in 1997].”

Together with his parents, they crafted a menu that encompasses the many flavors and spices of South Africa. They eventually opened the first South Africa restaurant in the US.

You can watch the full video over here: