Once upon a time in Mexico
RICHARD HART • Claridge’s Bakery, Hart Bageri, Green Rhino
WORK • Wednesday Routine
RICHARD HART • baker • Claridge’s Bakery, Hart Bageri, Green Rhino
Cities you work in: London, Copenhagen, Mexico City
City you live in: Mexico City
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m in Mexico after a lovely couple of months in London helping to open Claridge’s Bakery (intel) earlier this year. I’m busy with my brilliant team here at Green Rhino, testing new recipes. We’ve been working on something with fresh guava and mango. The fruit here is unbelievably good and it really inspires me.
Where are you drinking or dining this weekend?
In terms of drinking, it’s always tea, specifically from Rare Tea Company. My wife is @raretealady and she has the best tea in the world. I’m so lucky.
I ate so well in London – Legado, BiBi, Quo Vadis, Mountain, Kiln, Akub, Rochelle Canteen… I could go on. But I’m so glad and grateful to be back in Mexico – there are so many good places here, I hardly know where to start. Breakfast at Expendio de Maíz. I can’t wait to go back to Maizajo and also Fugu for the best sushi in the city. I also love Mi Compa Chava, Mendl, Lina, Máximo Bistro, Rosetta, Bar Nino, The Lamb, Chiquitito Café and Amorcita Gelato… and the lady who sells tamales and quesadillas across from my apartment.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I have four sons, and we’re all obsessed with music. There’s nothing I enjoy more than going to concerts and music festivals with them. I was incredibly fortunate to get tickets for Radiohead last year in Madrid, and was able to take my eldest son, Bohdi, with me. It was one of the best experiences of my life. But I don’t have to go far. Mexico City has so many amazing music venues, bands and musicians. Whenever Sonido Gallo Negro play, I make sure I’m there.
Any weekend getaways?
I travel often to California, where my boys live with their mum. It’s an easy flight from Mexico City to San Francisco, and any spare time I have I want to spend with them. They’re great fun to hang out with, and I have lots of old friends to visit because I used to live there. The boys think State Bird Provisions is the best restaurant in town. They have great taste – the owners, Stuart and Nicole, are wonderful people, as well as chefs.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I’m hankering after a Polaroid camera. I’ve been reading Patti Smith a lot lately, and she and Robert Mapplethorpe are always taking Polaroids, so I got a mini-Polaroid one. I love it. I’m pretty obsessed. I want the top-of-the-range i2.
What store or service do you always recommend?
In Mexico City, I love the vegetable boxes from Arca Tierra, a regenerative, organic farm project based around 40 farming families in the Chinampas of Xochimilco. A dawn trip with them is one of the most stunning adventures of your life. My favourite glasses shop in the world is Escopica in Roma Norte, and you can find beautiful Mexican and Latin American design at Cardón.
Outside Mexico, I love Issey Miyake – the clothes are expensive but incredibly durable and comfortable. I’m not into fast fashion; I’d rather buy one really good thing that lasts. I’m very inspired by Vivienne Westwood, and that was her mantra. I have trousers from Issey Miyake that can be washed in a machine over and over; they don’t need ironing and they stand up to the hard work. They’re more comfortable and last so much better than anything else I’ve ever worn. There’s a great store on Brook Street close to Claridge’s. It’s quite fancy for a baker, but they’re never snooty.
Where are you donating your time or money?
My wife is the founder of Rare Charity, which supports full educational scholarships in tea communities in Malawi and Nepal. I do everything I can to support her and those incredible young people.