Multi-award winning chef, Coco Reinarhz, will be bringing to Kigali, capital of Rwanda, his signature culinary experience with the opening of ‘Kaffé, his first-ever sports café in East Africa at the iconic 10,000-seater Kigali Arena in early 2021.
Kaffé sports café at the Kigali Arena will not only cater to visitors to the Kigali Arena but also the entire Kigali community.
This new development comes following a seven-year management agreement that was signed between QA Venue Solutions and the Government of Rwanda to manage the Kigali Arena.
Born in Burundi, Chef Coco Reinarhz, worked as a chef in Belgium, DR Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, and South Africa. He currently owns a top-rated fine dining restaurant called Épicure by Chef Coco in Sandton, Johannesburg.
Inspired by cities in Africa, different styles of dining and diverse palates Épicure restaurant boasts 160 seats including terraced tables and a 40-seater private dining. Épic Bar and Cure Deli compliment the culinary chic.
Following the signing of the agreement between Kigali Arena management and the restaurateur, Chef Coco Reinarhz said:
“We will be able to cater for all kinds of guests, from fusing some of the best African and global cuisines to offering tasty fast foods. My goal is to work with local talents and partners to provide holistic dining experiences. We want people to come with their families and friends and enjoy the overall experience.”
In addition to the sports café, Chef Coco Reinarhz will partner with other food and beverage vendors at the Arena to provide world-class hospitality at the facility.
“Our goal is to have as many people coming here to receive the best quality services. This will keep the Arena vibrant,” he noted.
On his part QA Venue Solutions Director, Kyle Schofield, said:
“This agreement between the Kigali Arena and Chef Coco Reinarhz, is a fulfilment of the promise that we made as QA Venue Solutions to bring world-class amenities to the community that the Arena serves.
As an iconic African Arena, we believe that Kigali Arena deserves facilities that showcase it in the best possible light and we are confident that the partnership with Chef Coco Reinarhz will be a testament to our vision for the Arena.
We want to further invite local, regional and international businesses to partner with us to find the right opportunities to further their business growth through the Kigali Arena.”
QA Venue Solutions Rwanda has partnered with local companies and continues to encourage businesses in Rwanda to engage with the management team regarding opportunities in the venue.
Coming from two generations of accredited chefs, Coco Reinarhz attended the École Hotelière de Namur in Belgium and Institut Supérieur de Gestion Hotelière in Namur. He then worked in Belgium, Holland, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast and South Africa. He is the owner of Sel Afrique Pty Ltd.
Chef Coco Reinarhz philosophy is that of a modern world culinary citizen who is also an African by birth and choice. He combines classical French training and skill with the panorama of spectacularly expressive but previously overlooked African food in a modern, sophisticated, and utterly delicious manner.
He earned recognition as one of the top restaurateurs in the world. His restaurant ‘Sel et Poivre’ was selected as the American Express Fine Dining restaurant and he also earned the Platinum Award Wine List from Diner’s Club in 2008. He then earned Diners Club Diamond Award for Sel et Poivre Restaurant in 2013.
A member of the elite Chaîne des Rôtisseurs and Disciple de l’Ordre d’Auguste Escoffier, Chef Coco Reinarhz has also co-authored an award-winning cookbook titled ‘To the Banqueting House, African Cuisine and Epic Journey’.
He has shared his passion on SABC1, SABC3, E-tv, CNN, TV5 and BBC Food. He has also been a celebrity chef on hit show ‘Master Chef-South Africa’ and was the main judge for the LB Cook-Off Show on SABC3.
QA Venue Solutions was established by an experienced, dynamic group of people whose philosophy is based on developing a new model of venue solutions across the African continent and beyond.
The company comprises a team of proudly African individuals who together possess decades of experience in the events, entertainment, and hospitality industry, in addition to venue management, design and operations.
QA Venue Solutions is proud to have been at the forefront of major sports events in Africa. QA Venue Solutions Director, Kyle Schofield worked with NBA (National Basketball Association) and NBA Africa as Head of Event Operations for the continent, leading the 2017 and 2018 NBA Africa Game Operations.
As the Venue Management for Sun Arena|Time Square – Menlyn-Pretoria – Sun International, a 8,500 -10,500-Seater multi-purpose Arena in Pretoria, QA Venue Solutions managed the calendar, contracts, operations, technical, safety and security aspects of all shows being hosted at the venue.
In 2018 QA Venue Solutions was directly involved in the venue operations for the 2018 NBA Africa Game at the Sun Arena. QA Venue Solution consulted for Stadium Management South Africa (SMSA) to ensure the smooth running of the FNB, Orlando, Dobsonville and Rand Stadiums and as experts in large event production, QA Venue Solutions provided technical direction for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2010 FIFA Football World Cup as well as the 2014 African Cup of Nations Cup.
Under QA Entertainment Technology Consultants (Pty) Ltd, QA Venue Solutions has been, and is still involved in, consulting on venue concepts, commercialization, feasibility, operations, and technical requirements for various venues throughout Africa and internationally. (Fin).