Chef’s Table: An Exclusive Chat with Andreas Antona

Dish Cult: Tell us more about Soko Patisserie and the exciting new Christmas range? 

Andreas Antona: I’m delighted to be driving Soko Patisserie with my partner Bharat Chandegra, alongside industry stalwart Jerry Toth. Together we want to reawaken Birmingham’s rich chocolate heritage.

For Christmas we’ve launched two new new ranges of artisan bon bon chocolates, available in boxes of 12 or 24. One features wider winter tastes including Baileys, Caffe Latte and Masala Chai and Biscuit bon bons. The Christmas collection is really ideal as a gift and customers will enjoy festive favourites including a take on a Mince Pie and the much loved Black Forest Gateau.

As for the Soko Advent Calendar and Hamper, we wanted to deliver a feast for the eyes as well as your taste buds.

DC: Did you create the range with Bharat?

AA: I let Bharat get on with the creativity at the initial stage but then we work together to develop the ideas and realise the finished product. With Soko we bring together both an innovative and classic approach and that’s where I come in. 

Bharat is the craftsman and the creative mind, but I bring my years of consumer knowledge and experience of learning what delights customers. We start thinking about each chocolate range at least six months before they are released.

DC: We love Simpsons and The Cross at Kenilworth at Dish Cult, how did you come up with the menus for them?

AA: At both restaurants we let the ingredients speak, sourcing the best quality produce as locally and sustainably as possible. Seasonality is also key and we like to reflect where we live so we always change menus to work with the ingredients that inspire us each season.

DC: Is there one particular dish you’re most proud of?

AA: Yes, it has to be the kleftiko as it says a lot about my heritage and my roots. In my first restaurant I elevated it from a peasant dish to something that haute cuisine is proud of. 

DC: What inspired you to get into food in the first place?

AA: I was born into a hospitality family so it was a natural part of my life. Mealtimes were always a moment of joy. When you approach food like I do, it’s a way of life and I’m happy to provide the theatre that goes into running a restaurant.

DC: What is it about these local areas that make them such attractive places for foodies?

AA: We are blessed to live in areas where people are curious, they want to see and want to learn, and as the world moves on they want to experience different flavours.

DC: What makes your restaurants truly stand out?

AA: Both teams have the desire to do their job to the best of their ability. We have built a reputation for doing the basics really well – food, wine, drink and service. We don’t try to overcomplicate things.

DC: Which other restaurants really impress you?

AA: L’Enclume, Core by Clare Smyth, The Ritz – I love them for what they stand for and the stories behind them 

DC: Which ingredients do you enjoy cooking with most?

AA: Sweetbreads, asparagus and squab pigeon.

DC: Have you got any food that’s your guilty pleasure?

AA: I’m never guilty about food, it’s always a pleasure.

DC: What’s the most exotic thing you’ve ever eaten?

AA: Sea slug in Singapore!

DC: If you could invite any three people – dead or alive – to come and eat your menu, who would they be and why?

AA: Severiano Ballesteros – I’ve always admired how he got to the top with sheer skill and determination.

Peter Frankopan – Two of my passions are history and hospitality and as a British historian, writer and hotelier Peter would make a very interesting guest. 

Auguste Escoffier – I would love to discover how his experiences were in reality.