HUNGRY. The Beautiful and Heartfelt Story of KOL Becoming the 17th Best Restaurant in the World | Chef Santiago Lastra
Nov 30, 2025
Santiago Lastra, founder of KOL and Fonda, is a culinary innovator blending Mexican philosophy with British ingredients. He shares his journey from a struggling teenager in Mexico to a renowned chef in London. Santiago discusses the artistry involved in running a restaurant, treating it like a performance. He dives into the intricacies of wine, cocktails, and how to foster creativity without pressure. With reflections on his emotional struggles and the importance of cross-training, he illustrates the balance of craftsmanship and play in achieving true originality.
02:31:17
Restaurant As Directed Performance
- Running a fine dining restaurant is like directing a play where the chef must set the vision for every department.
- Santiago Lastra argues directors must learn camera, sound, makeup and design to meaningfully lead a restaurant's experience.
Learn Your Weakest Discipline
- Invest time to learn weak areas of your business rather than outsource blind spots.
- Lastra studied wine, spirits and origins across France, Austria and Georgia to shape KOL's drink program.
Quality Comes From Soil And Practice
- Ingredient quality is shaped by growing practices and soil, not just provenance.
- Lastra avoids sprayed imports and seeks biodynamic, low-intervention producers for authentic aroma and structure.
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Intro
00:00 • 58sec
Learning Drinks to Direct a Restaurant
00:58 • 3min
Translating Wine Lessons into Food
03:37 • 6min
Cocktail Techniques Applied to Cuisine
09:44 • 2min
Restaurants as Directed Performances
11:54 • 4min
Experience vs. A La Carte Dining
16:11 • 5min
Patience, Teamwork and Driving Progress
21:06 • 5min
Opening in COVID and Learning Limits
26:17 • 4min
The Pursuit of Beauty and Continuous Improvement
30:00 • 2min
Ad break
32:21 • 49sec
Creating Mexican Soul with British Ingredients
33:10 • 3min
Frustration, Iteration and Recipe Development
36:13 • 3min
Self-Doubt and Pushing Through
39:39 • 3min
Creativity as Play and Habit
42:23 • 8min
Cross-Training Broadens Originality
50:33 • 41sec
Lessons from Noma and René Redzepi
51:14 • 4min
True Innovation vs. Knowledge-Based Creativity
55:02 • 3min
Accessing Flow Through Intuition
58:12 • 5min
Maths, Problem Solving and Creativity
01:03:21 • 10min
Values, Quality, and Business Decisions
01:13:30 • 3min
Adapting to a Competitive London Scene
01:16:03 • 7min
Favourite London Restaurants and Mexican Scene
01:22:51 • 10min
Mexican Cultural Traits in Hospitality
01:32:46 • 10min
British Traits That Help Mexicans
01:43:02 • 7min
Living and Working Abroad: Russia and Beyond
01:50:19 • 5min
Grief, Cooking, and Finding Purpose
01:55:27 • 10min
Tenacity, Innocence and Kindness
02:05:10 • 4min
Networking, Pop-ups and Finding Partners
02:09:38 • 15min
Tom Cruise, Guests and Perfectionism
02:24:40 • 6min
Outro
02:30:39 • 37sec
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Creative Being
Judith Kurka Nagel
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Santiago Lastra’s story is unlike any other in modern food. Raised in chaos, forged through global kitchens, and shaped by an obsessive drive to master his craft, he built KOL — one of London’s most original, Michelin-starred restaurants — by combining Mexican soul with British ingredients.
In this conversation, Santiago reveals how adversity, identity, discipline and extreme curiosity shaped both him and his restaurant. This episode is about far more than food — it’s about reinvention, resilience, and the psychology behind elite creativity.
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ON THE MENU
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🇲🇽 Growing up in chaos — and turning adversity into fuel
🔥 How obsession, discipline & structure rewired his life
🥘 The philosophy behind KOL: Mexican soul, British ingredients
🌍 Noma Mexico, global travel & finding creative identity
🧠 How environment shapes ambition, confidence & mindset
🎨 Why great creativity requires constraints
🍽️ Building a Michelin-star restaurant from scratch
👥 Leadership, culture & the psychology of a great kitchen
🥃 The emotional story behind Mezcaleria KOL
🔄 Letting go of your past to build the life you want
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