News / Peter Sanchez-Iglesias
Peter Sanchez-Iglesias is new chef at best friend’s restaurant
One of Bristol’s most acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs of recent years has got a new job at a small restaurant in west Wales.
Peter Sanchez-Iglesias will soon be behind the stoves at Gwen, owned by his best friend Gareth Ward, chef and owner of the two Michelin star Ynyshir also in Machynlleth in Powys.
Gwen is a long way from Sanchez-Iglesias’ most recent role as exec chef at Decimo on the top floor of the five-star Standard hotel in London’s King’s Cross, and his family’s two former restaurants in Bristol, Casamia and Paco Tapas, which both held Michelin stars.
Sanchez-Iglesias, 40, who grew up in Whitchurch and lives in Portishead, was named the UK’s best chef in The Good Food Guide 2018.
He and his brother Jonray took on the running of Casamia, originally an Italian trattoria in Westbury-on-Trym, and transformed it into one of the UK’s best restaurants.
Casamia moved to the General in Redcliffe in 2016 – the year after Jonray sadly died at the age of just 32 from skin cancer – and was soon joined by Paco Tapas, Pi Shop and a short-lived bakery called The 3rd.
But they all have since closed with Casamia briefly replaced by Casa until that closed in 2024.
Casamia closed in 2022 after 25 years and multiple awards – photo: Casamia
“I know what brings me true happiness,” Sanchez-Iglesias said in an interview with CODE.
“This, honestly, has just brought it all back.
“Literally, if every chef in the world could feel like the way I feel right this moment in time – actually, if everybody could feel the way I feel right this moment in time – this world would be a very different place.
“I get to do this with my best mate. We’re coming together to do what we love best.”
Gwen was set to close following the departure of its head chef Corrin Harrison – photo: Eleonora Boscarelli
Sanchez-Iglesias, who has previously teased a return for Casamia, told CODE that he has “had that glimpse of earning loads of money and it still didn’t complete me”.
He said that Gwen, named after Ward’s mum, will feature his own “no rules cooking” with multiple courses in “almost a mini version of what they’re doing at Ynyshir”.
“I’m going to do what I want to do in there, that’s the number one thing,” Sanchez-Iglesias added, saying that he wants Gwen to become a destination restaurant but also somewhere you can get a bacon sandwich outside on Sunday mornings and maybe also bringing back Paco Tapas’ much missed croquettes.
Main photo: The Standard
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
