On Saturday 20 August, Bristol’s Casamia restaurant finished its final service after 23 years in business. “I’m 36 and most of my life has been Casamia,” says the chef-owner, Peter Sanchez-Iglesias, who, with his brother Jonray, turned what was previously their parents’ suburban Italian into a Michelin-starred destination. “But with my brother [who died in 2015, aged 32], I know life is short. Things can be taken away from you quickly and I’m not going to keep Casamia just to boost my ego. Nothing lasts for ever.”
Pre-pandemic, Casamia was “just breaking even”, struggling to hit the industry standard gross profit margin of 70%. That is not unknown in fine dining. Such labour-intensive treatment of costly ingredients for small numbers of guests is a financially precarious form of self-expression.
In the summer of 2020, Casamia underwent a “bold” relaunch intended to enhance its cutting-edge reputation and secure its future. Restyled as a dark, modish cocoon of loud music, lights and visuals, the dinner price increased from £119 to £180 (wine flight, £120), and to create a better work-life balance for staff services were cut to two lunch and three dinner sittings, running Thursday to Saturday. The plan was to make theatrical, 25-course menus of potato tempura, black garlic mayonnaise and pickled black garlic, or apple tart with smoked ice-cream, for just 16 people per service financially viable.
“We wanted more exciting food, to expand the ingredient selection and hit 70%,” says Sanchez-Iglesias, who encouraged the use of, for example, langoustines and sea urchins. “There shouldn’t be many boundaries in doing something creative. Because of the price, we should give everything to customers. I don’t want to be held back.”
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