The birth of The CRYPT Jazz Restaurant is the realization of a dream of one man whose love for jazz and good food drove him to open a jazz club in Cape Town. ​Derk Blaisse's dream is shared by the Dean of the St George’s Cathedral, Michael Weeder, a jazz enthusiast himself, who has a vision for Cape Town’s Cathedral as the ‘people’s church’ reaching out to diverse communities through The Crypt - and the universal language of jazz music. Born in Amsterdam, self-taught pianist Derk Blaisse is well-known in Franschhoek, having relocated there in 1995. In 2000 he started the National Cheese Festival in South Africa, and together with his wife Charlotte Daneel, opened La Fromagerie Restaurant at La Grange in Franschhoek. The restaurant became famous for both its Cheese Platters, and Jazz on Friday, which featured some of the Cape’s top jazz musicians, including his own jazz band, the Cape Dutch Connection. After 11 years of Jazz on Friday in Franschhoek with Derk Blaisse’s band Cape Dutch Connection, The Crypt Jazz Restaurant opened its doors on the 19th of April 2013, to create a platform for Cape jazz musicians and Capetonians. The Crypt is part of Desmond Tutu’s Memorial and Witness Centre which memorizes the famous march held in 1989, a few months before Mandela was released from prison.