“Dylan is an incredibly talented artist and we hope that the sale of his sketches will assist a few Cape Town restaurants to keep their doors open, post lockdown.” Speaking of the decision to host the auction online: “It was a no-brainer, to be honest. Yuppiechef has always tried to support local brands and people through the added content they produce. We pitched them the idea of anchoring the auction on their Insta page (@yuppiechef) and they didn’t hesitate.
As it stands, the project has seven participating venues. Jones has sketched each one in graphite pencil on 120 GSM paper. Signed and framed in teak wood, they measure 185 mm. The originals will be auctioned off this Friday on Yuppiechef’s Instagram page.
The featured venues are:
“With Yuppiechef coming on board as partners, we realised the reach was bigger than we originally thought,” says Fenner. “Dylan agreed to open up a range of prints for each venue, as well as the original pieces. That was huge for us, as it can potentially drum up even more money for the people that need it. Those prints will be sold via individual venues and sent out after lockdown. We’ll get into that once the auction is done.”
A musician-turned-butcher-
Fenner planted a seed with Jones to use his talent for a project that could help those in need. “Dylan is an incredibly talented artist,” Fenner points out. “And he has no idea how good he is. My idea was for Dylan to pick a few of his favourite venues across Cape Town and sketch them. If they came out anywhere near as good as we hoped, we felt people might buy them to help keep the doors of those venues open.”
Jones elaborates. “Once Andy got the ball rolling I couldn’t stop. The project was a way for me to keep busy but - more than that - it had such good intentions behind it. I got a few pics and got started with the drawings pretty much straight away.”
“What the individual restaurants do with the money is up to them,” Jones says of the proceeds he plans to generate, “they can use it to cover rent, pay their staff or settle up with suppliers. There are so many families affected by this thing and I just want to play a part in helping.”
Over and above this, Jones has sketched Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants too. As the owner, Fenner wants to donate all proceeds generated by the sale of his piece (and subsequent prints) to a charity called Isabelo. “We’ve been fortunate enough to trade throughout lockdown -- which means we’re in better shape than most,” he clarifies. “Margot Janse, the ex-head chef of Le Quartier Français, is doing inspirational things with her charity, feeding thousands of people. Amazing people are doing amazing things and this will hopefully go a long way to helping her cause.”
Both men are hoping that there are some generous readers out there, who can collectively play a part in keeping the doors open at some of the city’s most-loved venues. “It’s bigger than that though,” they both agree. “It’s about the people who work in these restaurants. We need to fight and scrap for anything we can to allow them to support their families.” Fenner can’t help but shout out to Jones. “Dylan has always had a massive heart. He’s always looking for ways to help. He’s worked so hard on these pieces and stands to gain nothing financially. I hope they’re well received.”
