More about MARCO
Marco was born and raised in Eisenach, East Germany. Communisms most western town. The son of a chef who’s uncles who were farmers and craftsmen. So his was a frugal and honest but creative upbringing in a land where he describes life as “black and white….even the rainbows”.
“We didn’t have shit….but life was awesome. At parties cigarettes were communal. We all bought a pack, emptied them into a glass and everyone shared”. Through family and friends, he learned the dark art and true value of making something from nothing. The DNA that runs through the very core of Möto Café.
A few years serving in Special Forces was followed by an engineering apprenticeship where he discovered his hands could do much more than pull triggers. Teaming up with his best friend and café co-founder Frank he moved to the UAE to build kitchens in the palaces and best hotels. Their reputation for true craftmanship was spreading successfully across the country until a nighttime boating accident brought Marco’s world crashing down. A collision with a buoy in pitch darkness fractured Marco’s back in 16 places. Had it not been for Frank’s heroics of hauling his friend from the water he would have drowned. The restoration of a dilapidated 1994 Royal Enfield was Marcos occupational therapy during his recovery (https://www.royalenfields.com/2013/02/this-royal-enfield-custom-is-wicked.html). It was also the inspiration for the café workshop on which the bike is now mounted, and numerous road trips around India with the venerable long-distance biker legend , Nelson Suresh Kumar (https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/Mötorcycle-rider-beats-heat-and-deadline-1.546565). It was during one of these road trips that Marco discovered the intriguing oily metallic lump that he later fashioned into the Piston King in tribute to the Pashtun King, the bikers guardian angel of the road.
Like so many who have had near-death experiences, Marco’s accident is a significant influence on his life and by default, the café. “I needed to create a space where I wanted to be every day. Where I am at peace with myself and where others might feel the same. Some people have pictures of their kids on their desk. I am surrounded by the bric a brack of my life. The tables and chairs are donations from family. The shelves and cabinets in the workshop were salvaged from an old army chapel by Franks mum. My chair in the workshop is where I sat as a toddler watching my uncle turn wood on a lathe”.
That toddler now turns metal into provocative art and bikes into award winning creations adorned with intricate engravings. Every item on the walls of the café comes with a ‘Marco story’ and be sure to ask about the blind orphan whose tears add to the unique flavour of the orange coffee. Just don’t ask for latte art work or you might be wearing it rather than drinking it.
Meet MAJID
Majid Al Qassimi
Partner and Patron
Qualified vet and expert in food security and sustainability
A shared love of hand-crafting wood and metal became a crucible for a friendship with Marco and an enduring bond with Möto. To Majid the cafe is a manifestation of raw creative spirit, whether it be on stage at the drums, or in a workshop at the tools. Möto is his venue for all the unconventional creators. Where the fringe once outcast in Dubai , now have a home where they feel included and are given space to explore and grow.
