Maria is Mexican. In her youth, she spent her days buying papas con chile, limon y sal (chips with hot sauce, lime and salt) and mango from street vendors in Mexico City. Among the things that lift her up are the sound of trumpets and drums, as well as working towards a world where all living beings – humans and non-humans – are cared for and respected. 

Pepe’s real name is Joost. In Mexico, Pepe is a nickname for those called José – which translates to Joost in Dutch. Maria’s father named him Pepe at the start of their relationship. Pepe is an ecopreneur and avid tree-lover in search of a joyful, peaceful way of living on this Earth. Time is precious for Pepe. For him, every second is a golden opportunity to make a positive impact within yourself and the world.

Maria and Pepe met by chance on a hot summer day in a park in Rotterdam and have been together ever since… This love story is a good one; if you ask for it, we’ll be happy to share it with you at the restaurant. They created a list of things they wanted to do together, and building a restaurant happened to be on it. But ‘restaurant’ is only scratching the surface of what they envision it to be. 

Maria & Pepe – now a pop-up, perhaps a permanent project later – strives to show a side of Mexico that is not widely known. Our plant-based menu tells stories of its wonderful people, culture and history. It also represents part of the path they believe can help make the world kinder and better.