{"id":385506,"date":"2026-07-24T20:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T20:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/385506\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T20:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T20:32:09","slug":"fort-worth-pitmasters-bring-heat-to-hill-country-bbq-fest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/385506\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Worth pitmasters bring heat to Hill Country BBQ fest"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new restaurant will bring a rare taste of South Africa to Keller: Called Umzi Wine & Vibe<\/a>, it will open at 444 Keller Pkwy. in the former Manny G’s Sports Bar & Grill, where it will serve South African-fusion cuisine in a warm, sophisticated setting.<\/p>\n

The restaurant comes from hospitality veteran Johann Redelinghuys, a South Africa native, who has spent decades in the industry working on cruise ships and, most recently, at Dallas-Fort Worth spots like Thailicious, Social Oak, and Patrizio \u2014 a Highland Park Village classic that also once had a location in Fort Worth’s West 7th.<\/p>\n

With Umzi, Redelinghuys is pursuing his dream of owning a restaurant and sharing his culture through food, paired with his passion for warm hospitality. <\/p>\n

The name reflects that spirit: Umzi is the Xhosa word for “homestead.” Redelinghuys envisions it as a “homey and warm space where diners can enjoy a meal and create memories.”<\/p>\n

He says the cuisine will be a blend of South African, American, Asian, and European influences – a first for the Fort Worth area.<\/p>\n

To helm the kitchen, he’s brought in Mensah Thompson, a local chef with years of experience at Table 13, Bob\u2019s Steak & Chop House, and Dickey\u2019s Barbecue Pit corporate.<\/p>\n

Together, they have designed a menu<\/a> that hits on South African classics \u2014 like “Chow Down” Bunny Chow, Boerewors sausage, and cherry bacon “oopsies” \u2014 as well as global favorites like flatbreads, lamb chops, filet mignon, fried rice, and chicken tenderloin cordon bleu.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be something for everybody, with prices starting at $15,\u201d Redelinghuys says.<\/p>\n

As both Redelinghuys and Thompson are sommeliers, the wine list will be thoughtfully curated, they say, featuring a strong selection of South African bottles alongside other international varieties.<\/p>\n

\"Umzi Umzi Wine & Vibe will serve elevated cuisine and wine.Photo courtesy of Umzi Wine & Vibe<\/p>\n

Guided by the South African philosophy of ubuntu – \u201cI am because we are\u201d – Umzi Wine & Vibe is designed to celebrate connection and community, the owner says. The 3,000-square-foot space will accommodate roughly 95 guests between the bar and main dining room with booths and different-size tables, with seating for 20 more on the outdoor patio.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about family, and that\u2019s my motto; Umzi is the place where you\u2019ll always be home,\u201d Redelinghuys says. \u201cHospitality is what we are all about \u2014 everybody will be a VIP as they go through our doors.\u201d<\/p>\n

While an exact opening date isn’t set yet (they\u2019re even hosting a prediction sweepstakes<\/a> on their website), Umzi Wine & Vibe plans to open its doors some time by early October.<\/p>\n

It will operate daily for lunch and dinner from 11 am-10 pm, extending to 11 pm on Friday and Saturday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new restaurant will bring a rare taste of South Africa to Keller: Called Umzi Wine & Vibe,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":385507,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[1068,12231,577,116,118,117,4178,2967,28498],"class_list":["post-385506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-barbecue","tag-brownwood","tag-festivals","tag-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth-headlines","tag-fort-worth-news","tag-hill-country","tag-music-festival","tag-pitmasters"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=385506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/385507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=385506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=385506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=385506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}