The owner of a Notting Hill celebrity hotspot which counts David Beckham and Sienna Miller among its customers has switched from fine dining to an environmentally-friendly deli for his latest project.
Juan Santa Cruz’s new Mayfair venture Nathalie serves raw and vegan dishes, including kimchi and dairy free carrot cake, and prides itself on having sustainable takeaway containers.
Mr Cruz also owns Casa Cruz in west London – popular with celebrities including Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and Rosie Huntington-Whitely – and Isabel in Mayfair, where Princess Eugenie, her husband Jack Brooksbank and her sister Princess Beatrice have dined.
The entrepreneur says his move to a deli business is inspired by his time working on Wall Street in New York, where he was disappointed by the grab-and-go options.
He said: “I always felt the food was disappointing. Nathalie seemed like the answer to my need then – and, I believe, still the need for many others now, especially busy Londoners.”
Nathalie’s menu changes twice a day and includes a deli box from the counter for around £10, as well as pre-packaged products. Most of the ingredients are from independent suppliers, including Vauxhall bakery Hedone, east London’s Secret Smokehouse and fermented food makers Eaten Alive.
Mr Cruz said he also spent 18 months sourcing containers made from PLA, a bioplastic which derives from renewable resources such as corn starch.
He added: “I think we are all so time poor yet more conscious than ever about what we are putting into our bodies.”
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