Journeying into a multi-sensory dream with Sam Bompas co-founder of Bompas & Parr
It’s a chilly morning in London and I’m on the tube zipping across town, on route to meet up with Sam Bompas. Described as a maverick, culinary deviant, food visionary, and of course, co-founder of Bompas and Parr.
Standing in front of the nondescript door I give it a knock and I’m let in to what can only be described as a portal to a creative world where multi-sensory experiences come to life. As I walk in, I imagine this is what it would feel like to step into Willy Wonka’s factory—except better, because it’s real.
Let’s rewind to a few months back for a little bit of context.
I’m watching Season 20 of Top Chef on Bravo. Daughter of a Restaurateur is an idea not yet fully formed. On comes Sam Bompas during the Goodbye London episode where he and Padma Lakshmi task chefs with creating a trompe l’oeil effect with their dishes. Bompas? I think to myself—The name sounds oddly familiar. I suddenly remember hearing about him and his co-founder turning the roof of Selfridges into a boating lake opening it up to the public in 2011 for the first time since WWII. More on that on this weeks' podcast.
It’s in this moment that I decide to reach out to Sam and see if he’d be keen if I interviewed him. I recognize that there’s a lot I still need to figure out but I reconcile that the how in how and idea comes to life lies mostly in having conviction in your plans and the audacity to try. I am beyond delighted when he accepts.
Cut to present day— I’m greeted by Cicely, a ceramicist who takes me on a tour of the emporium that is Bompas and Parr. I discover an astonishing amount of jelly moulds, and nostalgic items that plant the seed of inspiration to chefs, artists, architects, and producers. Here is where groundbreaking sensory experiences come to life, doused in a layer of inimitable satire.
I’m shown around the library where books are stacked to the ceiling organized by Dewey Decimal system. Books about food, culture, history, architecture, art, and leadership are everywhere— a creators dream and researchers haven.
Sam shakes my hand while his signature yellow messenger bag sits in his other hand and I notice the embossed phrase Food on all fours adorns it’s front flap. I already know today is going to top my expectations—it already has.
We pass the kitchen where Chef Pablo announces he’s experimenting with a Citrus Mélange sorbet derived from lemons found on the Amalfi coast. He offers us a taste. My eyes widen. The lemons are sweet and only slightly tart, the consistency is soft and delightfully creamy. When life hands you lemons, rebrand to a Citrus Mélange, I think to myself. As if on cue Sam says, “I just love the word mélange.”
We make our way to a pink room that houses a whiskey organ. Yes, correct—a piano-like instrument that entices you to play a symphony wherein each key and pedal insights a synesthesetic experience. The music you create assigns the flavour profile of whiskey with a built in bar on the opposite side. Sam explains this to me matter of factly and my mind is totally blown.
Sam is a visionary, a pioneer unlike any other I’ve met before. He’s candid, forward thinking, exceptionally creative, and very kind. I ask him how he describes Bompas and Parr and he states that he and his co-founder, architect Harry Parr, create things in places that are delightful for people.
We hit record and journey into Sam and Harry’s past inspired by re invigorating the food scene with different types of jellies. This is the beginning of their foray into creating the jaw-dropping and mind blowing food experiences that we know today.
We continue on and talk about innovation, history, philosophy, art, food, business—the list goes on.
I can’t help my enthusiasm, this episode is fun! It sparks creativity, and is layered by supportive and inspiring conversation. These are the notes of this episode’s symphony— I wonder what they would taste like as a whiskey.
Before we wrap up I ask Sam if he’d be willing to ask a question to my next guest, without him knowing who they will be. He takes a quick pause and then asks:
“What are you excited about now?”
The question hangs in the air and finally Sam answers it. (No spoilers allowed, you’ll have to listen to find out his answer!)
Wrapping up our conversation I ask Sam if there’s a philosophy or mantra that he lives by. He describes a line by William Blake:
The road to excess leads to the palace of wisdom.
Sam explains that applied to design and food, it’s about not being afraid of things like colours, patterns, and flavours. Playing with these aspects means leaning into exuberance and discovering what can come from that.
Eyes wide, mouth agape, I can’t believe it’s time for me to go home already. There’s something to be said about the messy beautiful mélange of being in your favourite city, exploring new spaces and unabashedly diving into the things you find interesting. It’s compounded by connections made with new people as well as an encyclopedia’s worth of stories about food, creation, and whimsy.
It’s exactly what I came to London to find.
Sam— thank you for your time, inspiration and of course, sharing your Citrus Mélange with me.
Check out this week’s episode of Daughter of a Restaurateur featuring Sam Bompas—co-founder of Bompas & Parr, and culinary visionary of multi-sensory experiences.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed recording it—Bon appétit!
xx
Erika
