Raffles 1887
MAURO COLAGRECO
Mauro Colagreco is a chef-philosopher: proprietor of three Michelin-starred Mirazur in France and the force behind Mauro Colagreco and Saison at Raffles London at The OWO. He believes that the job of a chef is, above all, to transmit an emotion that connects people. His cooking, as he tells RAFFLES 1887, has become a way of looking at the impact of food on our lives and on the planet – an approach through which he is constantly breaking new ground
WHAT WERE YOUR EARLIEST CULINARY INFLUENCES?
I could say primarily my family and my childhood in Argentina. Cooking was very present at home, especially through my grandparents and the traditions of Italian and Spanish immigrant families. I grew up with large family tables and conviviality. Then, over the course of my career, it was travels, my professional experience in France and the encounters that built my cuisine: the chefs I worked with, and also the producers, fishermen, farmers and all the people who passed on their know-how to me. Even today, I believe that you can learn as much from a gardener or a fisherman as from another chef.
WHERE DID YOU GAIN EXPERIENCE?
I began my training in Argentina, at a gastronomy school in Buenos Aires, before coming to France, where I had the chance to work with great chefs, and this profoundly marked my career. Each of these experiences has brought me something different: rigour, precision, respect for the product, and also a certain freedom in how to build a kitchen. With the opportunity to have my own restaurant and develop the work in our gardens, in permaculture and biodynamics, a whole new universe opened up. The cultivated biodiversity, the work around forgotten varieties, the discovery of the wild plants of the [south of France] region and their possibilities in the kitchen have transformed my way of thinking about gastronomy.
I would say that my training has never stopped. It continues to this day. Each territory, each producer, each plant and each season is a new opportunity for me to learn.
WHAT ARE THE KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR CULINARY PHILOSOPHY TODAY?
There are three essentials: the product, the territory and the rhythm of nature. I am looking for a cuisine that is deeply linked to its environment, that respects seasonality and that allows the product to express itself with as little artifice as possible. For me, cooking also means understanding the link between what we eat, our health, our lifestyles and the future of our planet.
Over time, my cuisine has become more committedly plant-based. I want to show that gastronomy can also be attentive to biodiversity, soils, resources and those who sustain them. This is how the idea of Circular Gastronomy was born: a philosophy that seeks to rethink the way we produce, process and consume food, making the most of resources and creating more virtuous systems. I don't think this approach is reserved for haute cuisine. It can be applied to our daily lives and to much more accessible concepts. For example, at Mitron Bakery, we work with varieties of ancient wheat and make our own flours. With CARNE, our burger project, or with our La PecoraNera pizzerias, we also seek to bring this philosophy to life in more popular formats, without losing sight of the quality of the product and our commitment to more responsible food.
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO RAFFLES LONDON AT THE OWO, AND HOW DID YOU DEFINE THE CONCEPT AT YOUR SIGNATURE RESTAURANT THERE?
The history of the building was one of the things that immediately appealed to me. The OWO is steeped in history, with a very strong identity. So we had to find our place without trying to erase this history. The challenge was to create something that was both true to our identity and seamlessly integrated with London and Raffles.
Inspiration came from a connection that has always seemed very interesting to me between the Riviera and England: the history of the gardens of the Riviera and the passion of the English for this region and for its gardens.
Since the 19th century, British travellers, botanists and aristocrats have come to the Riviera, fascinated by its climate and its vegetation. This English presence has contributed to the botanical and horticultural history of the region, with the creation of remarkable gardens and the introduction of many exotic species. This dialogue between the gardens of the Riviera and British garden culture seemed to us to be a very natural starting point for imagining the project in London. The gardens are also at the heart of my own history and my cuisine in Menton. For me, they represent a space for research, discovery and transmission, but also a place where you can observe biodiversity and the rhythm of nature.
Secondly, the link with ‘terroir’ is essential in all my projects. It was not a question of reproducing in London what we do in Menton, but of starting from this common history and looking at what London had to tell us. To understand its territory, its producers, its seasons, its products and its culture, and then build our cuisine from that. We also wanted to create an experience that goes beyond the plate. The welcome, the service, the products, the wines, the atmosphere and even the way in which guests discover the place must be part of the same story.
"At its core, hospitality is universal: it's about making someone feel that they're expected and welcome"
- Mauro Colagreco
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE OF HOSPITALITY? DOES A LATIN AMERICAN SENSIBILITY COME INTO IT, OR DO YOU FEEL MORE EUROPEAN?
I think my hospitality is a mix of all my influences. I'm Argentinian, I have Italian roots, I built a large part of my career in France and I now work in many countries. It's all part of me. Latin American hospitality perhaps brings this spontaneous generosity, this importance given to sharing and conviviality. European culture has given me precision, high standards and an eye for detail. But at its core, hospitality is universal: it's about making someone feel that they're expected and welcome.
WITH YOUR RESTAURANTS MAURO COLAGRECO AND SAISON [PICTURED] HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO STAY INTERESTING IN A CITY THAT HAS SUCH A RICH GASTRONOMIC OFFERING?
By remaining true to ourselves and continuing to search. London is an extremely stimulating city because it is open to the world and there is always something going on. For us, the challenge is not to follow what already exists, but to propose our own vision. Curiosity is essential. You have to continue to meet producers, discover new products, listen to your team and be prepared to question your certainties.
ARE YOU EVER INFLUENCED BY INTERNATIONAL GASTRONOMIC TRENDS?
What interests me more than trends are the profound changes in our relationship with food and nature. The growing importance of plants, fermentation — as a tool to value products, to reduce waste in the kitchen, and to enrich food — as well as the work around cereals, legumes, seaweed or old varieties are subjects that particularly interest me.
In recent years, at Mirazur, we have invested in a multidisciplinary research and development team. We work with an ethnobotanist, an archaeologist and an anthropologist to deepen our knowledge of the plants, food cultures, ancient techniques and resources of our territories. This research feeds directly into the cuisine at all our establishments, enabling us to build a gastronomy that is contemporary, generous and aware of its impact. But beyond all that, I think that the great evolution of gastronomy is perhaps a return to basics: better production, better understanding of what we eat, better value for resources and better respect for nature.
WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH TO WINE PAIRING?
For me, a pairing should create a conversation and a harmony between the dish and the wine. I like pairings that bring freshness, tension and sometimes surprise, but above all, I want them to make sense in relation to the product, the territory and the moment. I also really like to explore and introduce winemakers, appellations or wines that our guests are less familiar with. Over the years, we have worked with passionate and very curious sommeliers, with whom we are building a form of terroir that is our own, through our preferences, our discoveries and the meetings we have with the producers. It is a search that never stops. More recently, we have also started to explore more alcohol-free alternatives, with the same requirement for complexity, depth and pleasure.
IF YOU EVER HAVE TIME TO TAKE A BREAK, WHAT DOES THE PERFECT HOLIDAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
Being close to nature and spending time with my family. I love to travel, discover new territories, meet people and taste their cuisine, but the perfect vacation is mostly the one where I can slow down. The sea, the mountains, a good shared meal and time to observe and discover: this is probably what I need the most.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST LUXURY?
Time. Time to cook, to think, to spend time with my family, to meet beautiful people, but also simply time to observe. To water my vegetable garden, to see the plants grow, to pick some vegetables or fruits and simply cook them at home. In our fast-paced lives, being able to take the time to watch a garden grow, talk with a grower, be interested in the process rather than the finished product, or simply share a meal without looking at the time has become a real luxury. It's also what keeps me curious to keep learning.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED FOR?
For having contributed, at my level, to the evolution of gastronomy towards something more respectful of nature. If, through my cooking, I have managed to make someone want to know a product better, to respect a farmer's work more, to protect an ecosystem, to create their own vegetable garden, to plant a tree or simply to look at nature differently, then I will feel that I have accomplished something important. And of course, I would also like to be remembered for the moments of sharing that we have created around our tables. Because at the end of the day, cooking is above all a way to bring people together, to create emotions and to celebrate the art of entertaining with generosity.
3 SIGNATURE LONDON DISHES BY MAURO COLAGRECO
THE LETTUCE
A dish that may seem very simple at first glance, but which represents our desire to put the plant at the centre of the plate and to work on textures, temperatures and flavour combinations. Here the lettuce is accompanied by smoked fish, sesame and a vermouth sauce.
ASPARAGUS WITH PISTACHIO, BLACK SESAME, BEARNAISE & CAVIAR
This is a way of starting with a very seasonal product and building around it a composition that combines different cultures and influences, while keeping the product in the foreground.
CARROT & SCOTTISH LOBSTER
A good example of our work around the British terroir. The carrot becomes a real gastronomic element here, combined with Scottish lobster and notes of ginger. This is exactly the type of cuisine we want to develop in London: looking at local products, sometimes very simple, with a different perspective.
MAURO’S TABLE in his own words
Mauro's Table is an intimate experience that enables you to share the kitchen in a different way, almost like having a few guests over at home. The table is limited to about 20 guests and set around an open kitchen. This creates a special proximity: you can see the cooking, observe the gestures, smell the products and be truly at the heart of the experience as soon as you arrive at the table.
It is also a space where we can be spontaneous, tell more of the story of the products and create a real exchange with the guests. The plate, the scents, the gestures, the light, the open kitchen and the wine pairings are all part of the same story. The concept is very much linked to our work around the garden. We were inspired by the history of the Knotted Garden, the Royal Garden and the English garden tradition, to build an experience that follows the rhythm of nature. The menu explores different expressions of the garden – flowers, herbs, roots, vegetable garden and orchard – working with gardeners, producers and farmers.
In 2022, Mauro Colagreco was appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity, recognising his lifelong commitment to environmental transition and sustainable culinary practices.
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