About Marc
I was born in Germany to a German father and a French mother, but my real culinary education began at home — in my grandmother’s kitchen.
She lived with us and spent most of her days cooking, baking, preserving, making sausages, sauces and juices entirely by hand. She had trained in classical French cuisine and was among the early chefs to come out of Le Cordon Bleu in the early 20th century. She was my first teacher — and to this day, the most talented chef I have ever known.
From her, I learned that food is about craftsmanship, patience, and respect.After school, I worked in France and Germany, including a winter season in a French ski resort. The head chef there quickly understood that I was a visual learner — someone who learns by watching closely and doing carefully. He taught me the discipline and structure of French cuisine, reinforcing the foundations my grandmother had already laid.
At 21, in 1981, I left Europe for Africa — a decision that shaped the rest of my life.
While running mobile safaris in Namibia and Botswana, I specialised in open-fire cooking: baking bread in the ground, preparing refined meals over flames, and creating gourmet food under the most basic conditions. Africa became my real classroom. It taught me instinct, simplicity, and how to respect ingredients without hiding behind complexity.
Later, while trading African arts and crafts across Ethiopia and West Africa, I immersed myself in North African, Mediterranean, Lebanese, and West African cuisines. A Turkish chef I once met in Istanbul described my style as “Ottoman”
— layered, cross-cultural, and shaped by travel. I don’t cook from one country.
I cook from experience. My focus eventually shifted toward nutrition and special-needs diets. Seeing how limited food options were for people with intolerances, I began developing raw and dehydrated foods — something entirely new in Africa at the time. I designed the methods, machinery, and recipes myself, supplying health shops while continuing to research preservation and alternative techniques.
In 2010, I returned permanently to Botswana and became an accredited trainer, spending six years training lodge chefs throughout Ngamiland. Teaching has always been central to who I am.
When I opened Marc’s Eatery in 2017, that philosophy came with me. Every chef here has been trained in-house, starting in the scullery and working their way into the kitchen and bakery.
Today, I am not on the line during service. I train my team, research new ideas, and continue learning through travel — but during service, I am your host. A calm kitchen comes from trust and preparation, and my team runs the show.
Marc’s Eatery is the result of a lifelong journey — from my grandmother’s kitchen to European discipline, African fire, and global flavours — all brought together in Maun.
Above all, I hope the food would make my grandmother proud.
