BEHIND THE APRON
Behind the apron with Jandré Coetzee-Blom @ deliciously _ lia
Jandré Coetzee-Blom is a presenter, content creator and food-and-wine enthusiast with a keen eye for detail. Through his work as a stylist and photographer, he brings a considered, approachable sensibility to everyday cooking, where flavour, texture, and visual storytelling are given equal weight. His recipes focus on familiar ingredients, prepared simply and meant to be shared generously.
1. You wear many hats, including presenter, content creator, stylist and photographer. Which part of that creative process do you enjoy most, and why? It’ s hard to single out just one thing, because I love every part of it. I enjoy being both in front of and behind the camera – capturing moments and sharing them with the world. There’ s nothing more rewarding than seeing people genuinely enjoy my recipes, wine pairings, and place recommendations, and connecting with them in such a wholehearted way.
2. When you’ re creating food content, what usually comes first for you: the recipe, the visual, or the story behind it? The visual always comes first, followed by the recipe and the story behind it. That said, what you envision isn’ t always what the final result turns out to be, which can be both incredibly rewarding and wonderfully challenging.
3. Which food trends from 2025 food trends were your favourites? I’ m not usually a fan of hot cross buns, but paired with a cheesecake spread, it was absolutely delicious. What a vibe in 2025!
4. Do you approach cooking differently when you’ re cooking for yourself compared with when you’ re creating content for an audience? Not at all. The way I cook in the kitchen is exactly the same, whether
I’ m cooking for myself or creating content. I have just as much fun, the same amount of bubbly, and I always test everything beforehand to get honest feedback from my partner before sharing it.
5. Is there an ingredient you keep returning to again and again? Pasta, pasta, pasta, cara! My ultimate downfall.
6. What do you hope people feel when they cook one of your recipes at home? I want them to enjoy every single moment. Whether it turns out perfectly or is an absolute disaster, I want them to have fun, laugh, and embrace the wholesome moments – I hope that my recipes bring people and their loved ones together, one( hopefully) delicious bite at a time.
7. Have you ever tried a viral TikTok recipe, and did it live up to the hype? Yes! I tried the baked feta pasta that went viral a few years ago, and wow – it was incredible. I still make it to this day, but have you tried adding bacon? It’ s a total winner.
16 | Autumn 2026 • essentialflavours. co. za