Charlie Koffi is a chef with a unique and original taste at the crossroads of African flavours and French gastronomy. Along with a brilliant science background, he developed a passion for cooking and learnt the trade alongside a chef from Versailles.

Upon completion of studies and conquered by the culinary art, Chef Koffi perfected his art through apprenticeship and self-learning. At the age of 20, he quickly became a head chef in the Bordeaux region.

In addition to his work as head chef, he launched a chic brasserie within the Châteaux La Cheze in Floirac, “La table de la Cheze”, in 2016.

Chef Koffi created unique, original and flowery menus that became very popular with Bordeaux diners. As head chef, he worked with great châteaux in the Bordeaux region, such as Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Cheval Blanc and Château Laligne, where he organized weddings and various events for individuals and companies. His neat and tempting menus with their refined and stylized plates reveal an incomparable love of his art.

He then left mainland France and became a culinary teacher at the High School of Taste and Flavors of Kawéni in Mayotte, in the heart of the Indian Ocean. This enabled him to transmit his love of cooking to young apprentices and graduates.

Inspired by tropical and African flavours, this young chef decided to return to the land of his ancestors, the Ivory Coast. He opened a gourmet restaurant and private lounge, known as La Villa Alfira, in Abidjan. This beautiful space designed to host all types of events is today the place of expression of his art.

Inhaling the sweet aromas of peanuts, ‘djansang’ and cocoa beans, he experiments and creates dishes by combining his know-how of French gastronomy with the multiple flavours of Ivorian cuisine. He passionately embarks on the exploration and research of the associations of tastes and textures, volumes and colours, reliefs and scents.

This inventive and adventurous chef is always on the lookout to continue in increasing the perfection of his art. His dishes seduce with their originality and elegance.

I’m an African chef, proud of my African roots. My mission is to promote as much as possible the diverse cuisines of our beautiful African continent. I enjoy trying different African recipes, to re-invent them and give them an international appeal by combining them with ingredients from other parts of the world.