Mateusz Sarnowski: Every pop-up is like opening a new restaurant

When did you first start cooking?

Growing up, I just liked to eat, and my mother and grandmother cooked. I started cooking quite late, when I was sixteen – I went to Italy for a language course and had to feed myself there. In Italy you can easily buy good quality tomatoes and pasta, so I really enjoyed preparing meals there. Two years later, I went to Ireland to work in the kitchen of a large catering company, and that further prepared me for work in the kitchen. Later, at university, my friend and I started working at a catering business in Poland, so preparing food was already becoming part of my life.

What happened next?

I got a degree in political science from the University of Warsaw and started working in advertising. After eight years, I felt burnt out – I was no longer happy in my job and realised I’d much prefer to work in gastronomy. I applied for the job of relationship manager at Restaurant Week and was successful. My tasks included assisting restaurateurs, building relationships with the media and the food scene. This is how I got to know the Polish restaurant industry. The next step was a move to Poznań – another friend asked me to run a pizza place with them, Przyjemność [Pleasure].

That’s a cute name.

I worked there for a year, and that's where I got the idea of doing a culinary stage. I applied to Noma in Copenhagen and I got in.

Why Copenhagen?

It seemed like a good place to learn. Copenhagen’s culinary scene has evolved rapidly over the past two decades. René Redzepi and his team at Noma (Noma, or Nordisk Mad, which literally means Nordic food) played a large part in that process. Everything served at Noma has to be simple and locally sourced from the sea and land.

Can you give us an example?

Instead of using lemons that don’t grow in Denmark, chefs at Noma use locally grown and pickled sea buckthorn. Simple fish prepared with sea buckthorn is transformed into an original, exquisite dish. At first, I thought I’d want to stay at Noma and carry on working there as a cook. I learned a lot, but I also felt too old to stay there permanently ­– it was a lot of pressure and competition. But thankfully, Copenhagen is much more than just Noma. Danish and Nordic aesthetics, including when it comes to food, rely on simplicity and minimalism. All you need is good quality bread, butter, cheese and maybe a soft-boiled egg. Excellent quality elevates a simple sandwich to an amazing meal, a great experience. It’s not just a cheese sandwich, it’s a proper cheese sandwich.

So, where did you go after Noma?

My future boss – the founder of Atelier September and Apollo Bar, Frederik Bille Brahe – and I met socially. He offered me a job at Atelier September, a small place where I could prove myself as both a chef and manager. It’s a beautiful place that serves kind of romantic, art-inspired breakfasts and lunches. I was lucky to meet the right person, but then I had to work hard to return the favour. I trusted my gut, and it turned out that I genuinely like working with food.

You’ve created a strong personal brand. How satisfied professionally are you, on a scale of one to ten?

I think I’m somewhere between two and three. Mati Pichci was initially just an alter ego of Mateusz Sarnowski, who worked in an advertising agency and occasionally cooked something for himself. The food I prepared back then was – and still is – quite simple, uncomplicated. In the end, cooking became my path in life, not just my alter ego. I’m grateful for Instagram, which makes it so much easier to communicate and spread the brand. At the same time, of course, I spend way too much time on there. But these are the rules of the game.

Can the Danes pronounce your name?

They say “Mati Picci” and generally think I’m Italian. But as an Italophile – I speak Italian, love Italian food and aesthetics – I’m not really offended.

Are you happy and content doing what you love for a living? Or is it tiring?

I prefer to cook for a living. I haven’t burned out yet, and I also like to make food outside of work. I still want to invite friends for dinner. But that’s probably because I found the right niche – I don’t work in the kitchen Tuesday to Saturday, twelve hours a day, so I’m not really that tired. But if I had to prepare meat every day, it would probably be too exhausting and intense. I try to steer my professional life in directions that bring me joy. And I do enjoy working with vegetables and certified food from eco farms. I admire simple but extraordinary ingredients. Recently I was in Porto and when I cut through a local tomato my jaw dropped – it was so fleshy, beautiful and aromatic. I want to work with food to enjoy these moments.

What’s your favourite meal to cook?

Simple things, like omelettes, which have become my signature dish. I’ve cooked thousands of omelettes.

Why omelettes?

A perfect omelette relies on the quality of the eggs and proper technique. I concentrate on what eggs can offer on their own, without additional ingredients and cheeses – they have to be super fresh, from a certified free-range farm, straight from hens raised on organic feed. When it comes to taste, quality equals bliss. I also love working with great quality seasonal vegetables prepared in a simple way.

What’s your comfort food?

To me, comfort food is a meal that makes you feel good, tastes that you remember from your childhood.

Did your mother and grandmother make you omelettes?

They often made pierogi, the traditional cottage cheese, potato and fried onion dumplings. When I’m in Poland, I like to eat them. But comfort food is also food that helps you stay warm and cosy in winter. For me, this also means large amounts of dill and parsley – just adding a little to potatoes gives them a fuller flavour. My mother and grandmother would add a lot of dill and parsley to their dishes. It also makes food look more attractive, and that’s important as well.

Lately you’ve been travelling a lot with culinary pop-ups. Why are they so popular?

They combine qualities that are frequently overlooked in traditional restaurants – most importantly, originality. People who think they’ve already tried everything look for new flavours, and they can find them when chefs visit from other cities or countries. Next, the atmosphere – each pop-up is like opening a new restaurant. And when I go to one, I try to infect people with my enthusiasm. This energy influences them, but I also get it back in return. Pop-ups attract people who know why they’re there, who’ve followed and know the chef, and want to try the food they make. I really enjoy this formula. I love to travel and getting to know different places is priceless. Following the September pop-ups at PURO, I’ll go to Vienna, Brussels and Paris. I’ve also learned to organize my pop-ups in a way that they’re more than just fun or art for art’s sake – they’re just my work, which gives me great pleasure, by the way. I like when people enjoy my food.

What will you serve at your pop-up at PURO?

For dinner, pasta alla puttanesca. There will also be dishes with tomatoes, aubergine and corn – the flavours of the last days of summer and the beginning of autumn – some dessert, and of course an omelette.