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About Gaaitjie
Cuisine: Seafood
About Paternoster
Paternoster is one of the oldest fishing villages on the West Coast of South Africa. It is situated 15 km north-west of Vredenburg and 145 km north of Cape Town. The origin of the name remains unknown. Legend has it that many years ago a Portuguese vessel was shipwrecked off that stretch of coast and the survivors said the Lord’s Prayer / Our Father (in Latin Pater Noster) in thanks for their deliverance from a potential watery grave.
History of Gaaitjie
By 1902 a full-blown lobster industry was in operation, canning and exporting lobster to France in particular. It is around this time that Gaaitjie was built serving as a home for a local family. The old house was built right on the rocks on the Paternoster beachfront, boasting a foundation of solid stone.
Later years the foreman of the Paternoster fishery, Mr Sampson use to live in the historic building. Hence the road leading to Gaaitjie is named after him. The building housing Gaaitjie is also a Cape Heritage building.
Gaaitjie restaurant opened its doors for the public in 2009. Well known chef Suzi Holtzhausen fixed up the old fisherman’s cottage and started serving indigenous dishes from the West Coast. She built a solid repertoire for the restaurant and took it to new heights.
In 2015 Suzi sold the business to the Kruger family, with brother and sister team Jaco Kruger operating as the chef and, Valmé Olivier managing the restaurant with mom Wilma providing accounting support.
