Behind the Scenes with… Sascha Reib, our Head Chef
With a career spanning nearly twenty years in hotels and restaurants across Europe, Sascha joined Colbert in 2019 from The Wolseley, where he had risen to Executive Sous in just two years. He tells us what it’s like to run the kitchen in this neighbourhood bistro favourite.
Tell us a little about yourself
I grew up in Germany and I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a chef. I went to cooking school there straight out of college and never looked back. I started my cooking career in Germany, then I came to the UK around fifteen years ago and began working at a country hotel in Stratford Upon Avon. After a while, I decided to expand my horizons further and come to the capital. The city can be busy and chaotic, but I enjoy it.
What do you enjoy most about working at Colbert?
There are many reasons to enjoy it, such as returning to cooking in the classic French style that I was trained in, but I’d say one of the greatest privileges is having built up the team around me. We have known each other a long time and we enjoy working together – I found it especially moving when we all returned to the kitchen for the first time after Covid 19. That was quite a humbling moment.
What’s your favourite dish you ever cooked at Colbert?
We do a lot of braising and slow cooking, which can be quite rare in kitchens these days. I’m enjoying returning to that classic way of cooking with dishes such as slowly braised and then grilled octopus. It’s also always a pleasure planning the daily specials, looking at what’s in season and what kind of creative dishes we can come up with. The majority of our specials can be found on my Instagram.
What have been your career highlights to date?
Becoming Executive Sous Chef at The Wolseley felt like a moment to bookmark. Working there is extraordinary as it’s so challenging, with four services a day (breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner) meaning that we might be putting out up to 1200 dishes during that period. Then of course, taking on the Head Chef role here was a highlight – it’s a different beast; a Parisian-style bistro on a leafy London square. I do enjoy its neighbourhood feel and seeing our regulars return time and again – sometimes more than once in a day!
What’s something about Colbert that people may not know?
Possibly the story behind it. If you stand at the bar and see all the postcards tacked up ad hoc, or our large collection of art and posters, you’d be forgiven for thinking we’ve been around for a very long time. In fact, the story behind the décor is based on a fictional previous owner, ‘Pierre’ who left Paris to set up Colbert in the 1930s, when the property was cheap in Chelsea. His essence lives on in the artworks and mementoes from the period, seen throughout the bar and dining rooms. I love the imagination behind that. Another thing that people may not know is just how many dishes we serve daily – sometimes up to 900.
When you’re not at Colbert, where can we find you?
In the garden. My wife and I have recently reworked it. It started when we planned a garden party in it to celebrate our wedding. We’ve now planted fruit and vegetables and we’re waiting to see how they turn out. I’ve found that once you get into gardening, you just can’t stop!
