Born & Bread In Namibia

The people, history and heritage of Namibia – which celebrates 30 years of independence on 21 March – flavour the breads lovingly kneaded by chef Stephaan Coetzee at Le Pain Café in Windhoek

- ANNA TRAPIDO

Chef Stephaan Coetzee nourishes Namibia with beautiful bread and superb service. At his Windhoek artisan bakery-cum-café, Le Pain, he celebrates his country’s unique ingredients, food culture and history, one lovely loaf at a time.

Stephaan explains that he was born and raised in Windhoek, and it is the Namibian landscape that first defined him. “I think my country’s climate, soil, crops, history and diverse cultures all contributed to the sense of self that I currently hold. This, in turn, is central to my culinary style,” he muses.

But the land of his birth is not Stephaan’s only food influence. “I was trained at the Institute of Culinary Arts in Stellenbosch and have worked at Tylney Hall Hotel in the UK; in South Africa, with Markus Färbinger at île de païn; and also with fellow Namibian chef David Higgs at Rust en Vrede, but Windhoek is definitely home.

“When you are a kid, your identity is very much founded in family, and a lot of what I have subsequently become started there,“ he says.

“I was lucky that my mother baked amazing cakes, so when I was a little boy I used to sit on the counter and watch her cook. I learnt so much about patience and attention to detail from watching her work. I must have been a real pain because I was always full of how, why and when-type questions.

“I was that little boy, the naughty one who constantly has fingers and a face covered in batter and icing because he can’t stay clear of the bowls! I just loved baking and eating cakes, pastries and breads, so much so that, from the time I was five years old, I was telling people I would own a bakery when I grew up.