Retro-chic French flair and exceptional gourmet coffee define the Coco Safar Café in Cape Town. The city café now showcases the sweet creations of Head Pastry Chef Carmen Rueda Hernandez, whose training and experience bring refined technique and creativity to the menu. Hernandez studied under renowned pastry chefs such as Oriol Balaguer and furthered her education in France with Olivier Bajard, making her a welcome and skilled addition to Coco Safar.
Hernandez refined her craft in Europe, including time in Roses, Spain, where she worked at Restaurant El Bulli in 2011. She later served as chef de partie at The Fat Duck in Bray, England, and returned to The Fat Duck to contribute to the Fat Duck Experimental Kitchen alongside chef Heston Blumenthal. These formative experiences informed her approach to texture, flavor and modern pastry technique.
Situated on Cape Town’s Atlantic Seaboard, Coco Safar operates as a couture espresso and patisserie concept designed to be the brand’s flagship location and an example for planned global expansion. The café aims to deliver an immersive, haute experience with a wide range of products handcrafted on-site, including patisserie, gelato, viennoiserie, chocolates, tonic water, and both coffee and rooibos cold brews. It also stocks a variety of Nespresso-compatible specialty coffee and rooibos compostable capsules for at-home enjoyment.
Hernandez will apply her molecular pastry knowledge to enrich the café’s non-alcoholic culinary offerings and botanical mixology program, helping to expand flavors and presentation across the menu. Her influence is expected to elevate the café’s dessert selection while complementing Coco Safar’s focus on high-quality coffee and innovative, visually striking beverages.
With its blend of French-inspired design, precise pastry craft and a strong coffee program, Coco Safar Café positions itself as a destination for those seeking both style and substance. The addition of a pastry chef with Hernandez’s background underscores the café’s commitment to excellence and experimentation, promising guests refined desserts and thoughtful, expertly prepared drinks in an elegant setting.