Theo Sanchez: “cooks that work in great places learn a lot but are rarely able to create”

Tell us about the Ooway concept​

Every few months, we fly in two chefs that work at top restaurants around the world to cook a multi-course dinner at our Lewes restaurant Dill. The chefs work collaboratively with each other to design a menu that is inspired by one of the alchemy symbols - for example moon, sun, fire and wood - to give them a point of focus. Some symbols are harder than others but we find that giving them a theme is helpful. We also like them to work their own story as a cook into their dishes. We usually get people to come on Sunday and they spend a day or so prepping the dinner, which takes place on the Monday. We don't make any money from it at all. If there's is any cash leftover after the ingredients have been paid for it goes back to the chef. We have had chefs come from as far away as Japan and Mexico. The food is far more technical than that served at Dill. We want the chefs to take risks and push boundaries.

What’s the rationale behind the event?​

For me the big defect of the restaurant industry is that chefs that work in great places learn a lot but are rarely able to create. You get amazing skills and the opportunity to work with great people, but you are never able to have your own ideas. When you come out the other side, that can be a problem. On top of that, I am originally from France where there is a culture of chefs not wanting to share their knowledge. Back home, it is still common for senior chefs to give their team the bare minimum of information to replicate their dishes. I don’t agree with that. If you share things people will take your ideas and develop them to make them more interesting. After the event the chefs get put into a WhatsApp group with all the other chefs that have done it. The idea is to slowly build a community of chefs so people can share recipe ideas. 

Tell us about your background​

I grew up on the Côte d'Azur​ between Nice and Marseille (Ooway is the phonetic pronunciation of the word for ‘today’ in Provençal dialect). I came to the UK after finishing catering college because I wanted to learn English. But with so many French people working in restaurants in London I chose Brighton, where I met Dan [Cropper, the chef owner of Dill]. After that I travelled the world working for high-profile Michelin-starred chefs including Alain Ducasse in France, Niklas Ekstedt in Sweden and Ángel León in Spain. Dan went on to work in some of Brighton’s best restaurants including The Set under Dan Kenny and at Plateau (where he was head chef). When I returned to the UK Dan asked me to open Dill with him. I said I would if I could launch Ooway there. 

What kind of restaurant is Dill?​

We cook food for chefs. We try and create the dishes that we would want to eat in a restaurant, which for us meant small plates and avoiding fusion dishes. Each plate is inspired by a different country but in general we don't mix cuisine types. The menu changes constantly and is very intensive on prep. We're only open for five services a week at the moment - Thursday evening, all day Friday and Saturday and for Sunday lunch - but we are in on Tuesday and Wednesday doing prep. It's a tiny restaurant (the building was at one point a public toilet) and the kitchen is one of the smallest I’ve worked in, but it's very well-equipped. We have bought a lot of stuff for Ooway so we have a lot of random things lying around, including a printer that prints with edible ink. It’s going well, the restaurant won a Michelin Bib Gourmand less than a year after opening.

The Ooway concept is quite esoteric. How has it gone down with the regulars?​

They love it. About 20% of the people that come are from the industry but the majority of our guests are foodies from Lewes and the surrounding area. I was worried that people would not like it because it’s so different to Dill but it hasn’t been a problem. One of the big appeals is that it’s very interactive. The chefs talk about the dishes on the night and we also ask for feedback via email post event.

What’s it like to run the event? It sounds like a lot of work​

It is a huge amount of work but I find it rewarding. It’s my way of travelling and gaining knowledge without having to leave the restaurant. It’s also tough on the guest chefs, especially during the event itself. A common issue is that they often don’t ask for help when thing are starting to go wrong, which is also something you see a lot in top kitchens. The first Ooway events we did were chaotic but they run more smoothly now - we do about six a year. Our next event (on 12 November) features a chef from EKSTEDT (in Sweden) and a chef from Evelyn’s Table (in London). Eventually I would like to see the Ooway concept become too big for Dill and for it to be exported to other restaurants. That is my dream.