The Patisserie in Illovo caters for every sweet tooth.
The Patisserie has been awarded the Rosetta Award for Service Excellence by the Restaurant Association of South Africa (Rasa).
Delicious muffins from The Patisserie.
The award is a prestigious one given to restaurants that strive for excellence in their service in the industry and is also seen as the highest honour for recipients. In an event that took place in December, for the third year running the intimate shop with outlets in Illovo and Rosebank, which specialise in French pastry for the sophisticated palate, was also named the Best Coffee Shop.
The Patisserie Illovo prides itself on its uniqueness which has earned it the Rosetta Award for Service Excellence.
“Winning this award has been wonderful, I feel great,” said Helen Theo, owner of The Patisserie.
“I didn’t expect to win, I didn’t think I could win it again and I was a bit late even getting to the ceremony because I wasn’t expecting anything.”
John and Helen Theo, owners of The Patisserie, are proud to have won the Rasa Award for third time in a row.
For John Theo, Helen’s husband and marketing manager of the business, what sets their business apart is her ability to pay attention to detail and being meticulous. “With her, everything must be right and in a certain way. It’s natural for her,” said John.
“The second thing is that she has trained the staff to understand her way of doing things.”
The couple said when they bought the coffee shop five years ago, many regular customers were concerned that under the new management the look and feel of the shop would change. However, the Theos made it their mission to keep things as they were.
Helen Theo, owner of The Patisserie, holds her latest Rosetta Award.
“We didn’t change anything because, if we had, our regulars would have been up in arms,” explained Helen.
“They would have been disappointed. I have only added new paintings and some antiques but nothing major.”
Since taking over, the couple has introduced extra meals of the day. Customers can now choose their meal of choice from the regular menu, which has remained the same over the years, or the daily creations.
“I think one of the most important things about Helen is that she creates sensations, she has the talent to analyse the flavour and that’s what people go crazy for,” said a proud John.
“We have the tastiest fish cakes in Johannesburg and our macaroons are certainly the best. This is a corner of Paris in the heart of Jozi.”
