This podcast episode features Chef Santiago Lastra, who was born and raised in Cuernavaca, Mexico and opened Kol in London in 2020 after a career that spanned multiple countries internationally.
One of the major milestone of his career came as he worked as the Project Manager at Noma Mexico with René Redzepi for its seven-week pop-up in 2017.
In 2022, Kol received its first Michelin Star, was named Number 15 in the OAD Top New Restaurants in Europe list and Number 1 in the UK, and entered the World’s 50 Best at Number 73. In the same year, he was listed in Top 100 Chefs in the World in ‘The Best Chef’ awards. In 2023, Kol entered the World’s 50 Best Restaurants at Number 23. And in 2024, Kol climbed to Number 17 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
In this episode that was recorded in 2022, Chef Lastra talked about how he substitutes British ingredients for Mexican one (yes – including lime and avocado!), how the disparate regions in Mexico differ and even shared the truth of what real Mexican food is made of!
Don’t miss these Stoveside Stories – and bon appetit!