We Are Ona: how immersive design and culinary experiences shape the restaurant concept of the future
Thursday 15 January —
16:00
- 16:45
The Talks — Hall 3
Description
In just a few seasons, We Are Ona – led by charismatic founder Luca Pronzato - has invented a new way of dinning: since 2019, NOMA Copenhagen’s former sommelier takes over unique places around the globe (palaces, brutalist buildings, creative or residential spaces), which he transforms with the help of sought-after designers and talented chefs to craft unforgettable, immersive culinary experiences.
Nos partenaires : ITALIAN TRADE AGENCY
Participants
Luca PronzatoLuca Pronzato, Founder - We Are Ona
Harry NurievDesigner and founder - Crosby Studios
Alexis BijaouiChef
Clara Le FortJournalist
Luca Pronzato
Luca Pronzato, Founder - We Are Ona
Luca Pronzato, sommelier and entrepreneur, founded WE ARE ONA in 2019, where he oversees curation and artistic direction. After 12 years as a sommelier and experiences in renowned restaurants such as René Redzepi’s NOMA in Copenhagen and Chef Atsushi Tanaka’s restaurant in Paris, Luca Pronzato dedicated himself to reinventing the gastronomic experience by blending architecture, design, and culinary arts, integrating aesthetic and narrative elements. Today, through WE ARE ONA, he organizes over 100 culinary experiences annually around the world. From private dinners for brands like Chanel, Saint Laurent, and Jacquemus, to public pop-ups during major cultural events, he collaborates with leading figures in architecture, including Carla Sozzani and Cristina Celestino in Milan, as well as in art and design, such as Willo Perron, Harry Nuriev, Carsten Höller, Alexandre de Betak, and India Mahdavi. He also partners with acclaimed chefs like Mory Sacko, Dalad Kambhu, and Sayaka Sawaguchi. Following the opening of his culinary studio in Paris in 2023, WE ARE ONA is expanding to the United States with a new office in New York in 2025, further developing his vision.
Harry Nuriev
Designer and founder - Crosby Studios
Founder of Crosby Studios in 2014 in New York, Harry Nuriev explores the boundaries between art, design, and craftsmanship. From his iconic installations for Art Basel Miami to projects for Balenciaga, H&M, and the Mobilier National, he creates spaces with a strong and distinctive identity. Named Designer of the Year at Maison&Objet 2026, he develops Transformism, a manifesto for design oriented toward the future. Based between Paris and New York, he produces around thirty projects each year, blending objects, scenographies, and immersive experiences.
Alexis Bijaoui
Chef
Raw material, free spirit. Trained in renowned kitchens such as Arpège, Blue Hill Farm, and Chateaubriand, Alexis Bijaoui creates cuisine deeply rooted in life itself. Exposed early to produce culture and market gardening, he developed a unique approach where nature sets the rhythm and constraints become a source of creativity. In his dishes, technique gives way to the essential: revealing a season, a color, an emotion. Vegetables are central to his language, complemented by infusions, fermentations, and a strong taste for raw gestures, subtle pairings, and bold contrasts. Over the years, Alexis has developed numerous creative projects in France and internationally, notably with We Are Ona, a culinary collective with which he has imagined immersive experiences in unusual spaces, blending gastronomy, art, and scenography. His latest project, PRINT, conceived in Arles during the Rencontres de la Photographie, fully embodies this vision: a hybrid space created with the Cracki Records label, combining a pop-up restaurant, live concerts, exhibitions, and artistic encounters. A nomadic chef, Alexis undertakes residencies worldwide, always with the same philosophy: capturing energy and translating it into edible emotions. Each project is an opportunity to blur boundaries between disciplines, explore new avenues of expression, and remind that in his cuisine, the ingredient is never just food, it’s a singular story.
Clara Le Fort
Journalist
A writer for French and international publications (Les Echos WE, Le Point, ELLE, ELLE DECO, Bllnr), Clara Le Fort deals with subjects related to luxury, innovation and sustainable development. She also works with brands on strategic matters, as a design director. In addition, she has authored five books, published by Gestalten, and has written the Louis Vuitton City Guide for Sydney, Istanbul, Copenhagen and Arles.