WE ARE ONA: The ephemeral gastronomic collective that’s taking over the world
The human experience is a tapestry woven with the threads of our senses. Sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell provide us with windows to the world, allowing us to immerse ourselves in the richness and depth of life. When we consciously engage and stimulate our senses, we awaken a profound connection to our surroundings, heighten our experiences, and cultivate a deeper appreciation for the beauty that envelops us. That’s what We Are Ona strives for when throwing the most delicious and visually stunning dining experiences we’ve ever seen.
It was the fall of 2021 when I first heard of We Are Ona through one of my best friends down in Mexico City. I was looking for new restaurants to go to after almost three years of not visiting my hometown and she immediately introduced me to the collective. It was a beautiful experience, she describes, downtown right behind El Templo Mayor. The dinner she attended took place on the rooftop of Círculo Mexicano, the newest addition to Grupo Habita’s acclaimed chain of luxury hotels. All the ingredients were sourced locally and each course was carefully paired with a specific glass of wine. But beyond the food, what captivated her was the knowledge and service of every single member of the staff; “you spoke to every single waiter and they would all explain in depth the reason behind every single ingredient and wine pairing”, she told me. One week after I arrived home, and when I was about to make the reservation, the collective had already moved to another city, so I promised myself I would eventually make it to one of their popups.
While this awaited night happens (fingers crossed soon) I couldn’t resist but reach out to Luca Pronzato, sommelier, restaurateur and founder off We Are Ona, to learn more about his vision and his community of food creatives. We spoke via whatsapp and immediately connected over creativity and entrepreneurship.
Amor Díaz: Can you walk me through a typical day in your life as a culinary artist?
Luca Pronzato: We create culinary experiences for brands that are mainly in the fashion, design, and architecture industries. I run the studio so my day is never the same. We are doing a lot of events but when it comes to the pop-ups, which are about 10 a year, I do a lot of kitchen scouting. We are building bridges between the hospitality and the event world, we are trying to create a really special atmosphere through the spaces that we choose, the flower arrangements, ceramics, and the food... so my creative team work hand in hand every day. Usually, the brands send us a special idea of what they need and we take it from there to create. We also curate pop-up restaurant experiences that are open to the public. There’s a lot of rendering and space design, we look for talent in the specific cities where we pop up, and there’s a lot of tasting and material sourcing as well.
AD: What are some of the challenges you face on a daily basis, and how do you overcome them?
LP: I would say that we are constantly learning. There is no other company that is doing what we do, so there is not really a route/path or business model to follow, so we are learning as we go. This is beautiful but also very challenging.
AD: What’s been your favorite project?
LP: It's hard to say, I really don't have a favorite one, but lately it's been very nice because we are working more in the US. We recently did the Chanel show between seasons and we did a really cool dinner at WSA to celebrate Art Week in New York around TEFAF, Independent, and Frieze.
We Are Ona, WSA, New York
AD: Curious to know (coming from you) your favorite, restaurants, bars, and coffee shops in France.
LP: I go to a lot of restaurants, I source a lot of talents, so it's hard to choose only one. We created a guide, an app, called “The Chefs Guide” developed in partnership with el agua Evian, that references 3000 restaurants - a free international culinary guide allowing users to access restaurant recommendations sourced by chefs worldwide.
AD: What’s in the pipeline for the rest of the year?
LP: We are doing some more popup restaurants. We are doing Paris, during Paris fashion week, Miami for design week, and finishing in Paris again.