This episode is proudly sponsored by away. Follow @away on Instagram, Twitter & TikTok. Or to browse the full line-up and find your ideal travel companion, visit their website at awaytravel.com or IRL at their London store, located in vibey Seven Dials.
Nicknamed the “nomadic chef,” Santiago Lastra has cooked the learnings of his international travels into the Michelin-star kitchen of his Mexican-British fusion restaurant, KOL. Taking inspiration from kitchens in the 27 countries he’s worked in, Lastra has presented London with new ways to use local ingredients, grounded in the flavours and techniques of Mexico, his home country. Listen in as the pioneer culinarian details his journey to not only success, but a sense of purpose.
On the heels of three family deaths, the then 15-year-old Santiago Lastra found solace in cooking for his mother and brother. Watching from the kitchen, the young chef witnessed the power of quality food to brighten the darkest of moments and has chased that feeling ever since.
After bouncing around the world, Lastra settled on London to open KOL, the first Mexican restaurant in the UK to have a Michelin star –– and within the first year of opening nonetheless.
The once solo-mission has now granted him with a new, and thriving, community in a city where he’s most definitely made his mark. Plus, Lastra gives insider tips on exploring Mexico City, the origin place of his culinary career.
This episode was recorded at Soho Works, the members-only co-working space from Soho House with locations in Los Angeles, London and New York. Visit sohoworks.com.
Keep up with our hosts’ travels and follow Fleur Rollet-Manus on @fleur_rm and Amira Hashish on @thedesigneditor.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.