Episode Description
Chef Coco Reinarhz’s story is written in flavour. Born into a family of restauranteurs and chefs - his grandfather and his mother - he tried to escape the kitchen for construction engineering, only to discover that cooking was not just passion, but destiny.
In this episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Chef Coco reflects on his journey from Eurocentric training in Belgium to building restaurants in Johannesburg and finally founding Epicure, a pan-African dining space designed to make African flavours part of everyday dining. He shares why “food is a love language,” why “you eat first with your eyes,” and how elevating presentation is key to reshaping global perceptions of African cuisine.
The conversation moves through triumphs and trials:
• The generational legacy that shaped his culinary DNA.
• The rebellion of his youth and the return to his true calling.
• Training in Belgium and realising how absent Africa was in the syllabus.
• Building Johannesburg’s restaurants by word of mouth, before creating Epicure as a continental food journey.
• The shock of COVID, which he reframed as a blessing that opened new markets in Dubai and beyond.
• Why mentoring chefs, embracing copycats, and documenting recipes are central to his legacy.
• Life beyond the kitchen: raising a family in South Africa, the joy of being a grandfather, and finding calm in golf and cigar appreciation.
Whether you know him from Expo 2020 Dubai’s Alkebulan African Dining Hall or encounter him here as a restaurateur, father, and cultural storyteller, this is a conversation about food as identity, connection, and everyday experience.
Chef Coco Reinarhz is not just cooking meals; he is reimagining how the world tastes Africa.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Afripods, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can find the latest from Chef Coco on the following platforms: LinkedIn | Instagram, or visit the Epicure Website
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Recorded at Vodcast TV
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania