You know that time is precious to me, which is why I decided to structure this monthly letter as follows: a retrospective on the past month, an encounter with a creative mind, a taste sensation, a reflection to open up new horizons, an enlightening read, and a place where the values of hospitality are those that I love and cherish. TOMO is not just a newsletter. It is a companion that transforms readers’ time into something precious and unexpected.
To find previous editions and receive future ones, click HERE.
#13
Pioneer of time,
sower of emotions
April 15th, 2026
It has already been a year since TOMO began, and I must admit I did not expect such success. We now have close to 7,000 subscribers, exceptional open rates, and consistently thoughtful (and sometimes deeply moving) feedback—whether in writing or in real life, at industry gatherings or during the conferences I host.
Before going any further, I wanted to sincerely thank you for your enthusiasm, and for helping to build a community driven by beauty, poetry and curiosity.
This month’s format will be slightly different, as many of you asked for a condensed version of all the references mentioned over the past months. Consider this a letter to save in your favourites—to dip into when visiting your local bookshop, planning a dinner, or feeling a sudden urge to escape.
You will find this recap woven throughout the following pages—I hope it proves useful. And as I would not wish to leave you wanting more, I look forward to meeting you again in your inbox on 29 April for a very special edition…
Warmly,
Thierry
Some encounters open unexpected paths. Throughout these editions, I have sought to introduce you to individuals who shift perspectives and nourish new ways of thinking about hospitality, creation and sharing.
Cécile Poujade, author of L’État-voyageur, a collection of chronicles drawn from lived anecdotes while walking—speaking the same language as my own wanderings.
Lukas Birk, who reintroduced the Moroccan camera box at Dar Ahlam to pass on the art of portraiture to both teams and travellers.
Édouard Malbois, founder of Grands Jardins, whose grand teas served in wine bottles open up a new path for food and non-alcoholic elixir pairings.
Cédric Mizero, Rwandan multidisciplinary artist with whom we imagined the first immersive hospitality performance, to be experienced from 30 May to 30 August with 700’000 Heures.
Rosa Pavone, an instinctive cook behind the stoves at Dar Ahlam, once a house hostess in Salento (in autumn 2018) following an impromptu Sicilian dinner.
Alex Davies, an iconoclastic distiller capable of transforming the plants of a Moroccan garden (geranium, bitter orange, rose, fig leaf…) into unexpected nectars.
Olivier Darné, artist-beekeeper whose projects connect art and ecology, and who inspired the Maison du Ciel, one of the satellites of our ecosystem in the Skoura palm grove.
Guillaume Sorge, our first musician-in-residence, tasked with giving Dar Ahlam a true musical signature and allowing guests to leave with a piece of it.
Shinsuke Kawahara, a free-spirited Japanese illustrator who created the visual identity of my Red60 project, a year dedicated to celebrating a new decade in my life.
Petit Miribel, founder of an exemplary hotel project in Peru (Sol y Luna), helping to fund a school that supports children from the valley.
Yim Maline, Cambodian artist whose textile works carry the memory and resilience of her country.
Olivia Giacobetti, a perfumer of extraordinary talent, with whom I worked to make scent one of the invisible threads linking the memories of a place.
Food, to me, is a universal language—the most direct way to grasp the soul of a place. Along my travels, certain tables and ideas have stayed with me because they went beyond taste: they conveyed a worldview.
Folderol, in Paris, where the pairing of ice cream and wine opens an unexpected playground; and Minimal Gelato, a Michelin-starred Taiwanese ice cream maker redefining frozen indulgence through sophisticated combinations.
Türk, in Istanbul, where chef Fatih Tutak elevates street food to extraordinary gastronomic heights.
Angèle Ferreux-Maeght, and her thoughtful food programmes reconciling pleasure with healthy habits.
Table, Bruno Verjus’ restaurant, where a simple madeleine or a deceptive lobster becomes the very essence of generosity.
Mérito, in Lima, where Venezuelan chef Juan Luis Martinez delivers cuisine of striking precision.
The bakeries of Gilles Marchal, P1 and Boris Lumé, which shape my Montmartre ritual whenever I return from abroad.
The transgressive culinary performances at Dexamenes imagined by Nikos Karaflos—between illegal dinners and artistic extravagance.
Gion Sasaki, in Kyoto, where chef and theatre-maker Hiroshi Sasaki brings surgical attention to texture and consistency, creating rare emotional shocks.
Pétrelle, one of Paris’ most sincere restaurants—perfectly balancing generous seasonal dishes, remarkable flavour compositions and an unexpected twist, never trying too hard.
And finally, my favourite chocolatiers to begin each day gently: Jean-Charles Rochoux, Plaq, William Artigue and Yannick Alléno, all pushing the boundaries of indulgence.
Thinking outside established frameworks has always been my way of operating. Behind each idea lies a different way of seeing, embracing contradictions and cultivating curiosity. It is difficult to summarise these reflections in a few lines, but over the past year I have shared thoughts on…
The ability to express one’s inner states, and the unexpected virtues of “negative thinking” explored in Marie Dollé’s newsletter In Bed With Tech.
The need to step away from urban agitation and recharge in urban sanctuaries such as the MoMA library in New York or the Pavillon Miwa in Paris.
The perpetual pursuit of beauty, which I see as a discipline—like an athlete training their eye daily—led me to discover artists such as Yuki Kawae, Alex Walshaw and Alexandre Farto.
The notion of hybridisation, theorised by the fascinating philosopher Gabrielle Halpern, for whom anything not mixed, eclectic or contradictory is destined to fade.
The search for artisanal perfection intrinsic to Japanese culture, where every practice strives towards ultimate refinement.
The experience of fasting at the Buchinger clinic (on the shores of Lake Constance, in Germany), where I spent ten days in a state of heightened awareness, with remarkable mental clarity and the sensation of truly pausing my organs.
The importance of rethinking our food systems in response to climate challenges, as we do with the Food Lab in Skoura, or through initiatives such as Climavore.
To discover is to pay attention to what is emerging. Over the months, I have highlighted perspectives opened up by certain initiatives, places and projects.
Go On, a collective of six Japanese creators preserving traditional craftsmanship while building bridges with design, science and technology.
L’École du Domaine du Possible, founded by Françoise Nyssen and Jean-Paul Capitani, rethinking education through art, openness, and a constellation of authors, musicians and artists orbiting Actes Sud.
L’École Comestible, created by journalist Camille Labro to teach children the pleasure of good food through educational workshops in schools.
Adèle Collections, an extraordinary Parisian showroom hidden in a leafy courtyard, where artist Loumi Le Floc’h transforms aubergine skins into decorative materials.
Pauline Rühl Saur, the magician behind the poetic art of our cyanotype workshops (the ancestor of photography) at Dar Ahlam.
Petites Planètes, a platform resembling a sonic atlas of the globe, where one wanders through musical cultures and songs from around the world.
Koyia, a Swedish brand where one “pays” for a perfume with 599 seconds of forest contemplation—the time required for nature’s effects to be felt by the body.
Le Cirque Phare, in Cambodia, whose artistic school inspired one of our most joyful experiences with 700’000 Heures in the summer of 2017.
And finally Studio Drift, a Dutch artist duo excelling in choreographed sculptures and kinetic installations, exploring the boundary between art, technology and poetry.
My relationship with reading has always come in waves—periods of intense reading followed by quieter ones. I now embrace being challenged or unsettled by certain works, whether because they articulate something I felt indistinctly, or because they offer a new way of seeing the world. Here are a few…
Liberté, by Paul Éluard, rediscovered in an edition gifted to me for my birthday, retracing the story of this emblematic poem.
L’Épicerie du monde, by Pierre Singaravélou and Sylvain Venayre, a collection of cultural and culinary stories to dip into.
Les lieux et la poussière, by Roberto Peregalli, a sensitive meditation on the memory of places by this philosopher-architect.
The books and philosophy of life of Perla Servan-Schreiber, whose generosity and outlook inspire me daily.
The Seven Basic Plots, by Christopher Booker, exploring universal narrative archetypes to master the art of storytelling.
The Domaine du Possible collection by Actes Sud, dedicated to original and innovative initiatives offering positive perspectives for the future.
Nagori, by Ryoko Sekiguchi, a beautiful reflection on the nostalgia of seasons.
Not to mention initiatives such as The Human Library, a Danish concept where books are replaced by people (a former alcoholic, a homeless person, someone living with HIV…) to foster dialogue.
Or Morioka Shoten in Tokyo, a bookshop that sells only one book per week to celebrate the art of curation.
Some houses are not merely places to sleep—they redefine the art of hospitality by challenging established norms. In this series, I wanted to share addresses I return to time and again.
The studio-guesthouse of ceramicist Winnie in Kigali, an oasis of serenity in the heart of the Rwandan capital (which guests travelling with 700’000 Heures this summer will discover exclusively…).
Reserva do Ibitipoca, in Brazil, a model of regenerative hospitality that has perhaps inspired my projects the most.
Hôtel Arcé, a family-run inn in the Basque Country where the memory of generations of my family still lives on.
Sterrekopje, near Franschhoek, a South African refuge blending garden poetry, terroir and a deep attention to care from the very moment of arrival.
The houses and hotels of Cap Ferret (and its surroundings), such as La Maison du Bassin, Hôtel de la Plage or Les Maisons Marines d’Huchet, imbued with the gentle nostalgia of my childhood holidays.
Norden Camp, in Tibet, a blend of comfort, simplicity and refinement, where the silence of the high plateaus invites introspection.
Silent Living, in Portugal, a sensitive vision of micro-hospitality imagined by João Rodrigues.
The diversity of Japanese hospitality—from ryokan (Tawaraya and Hiiragiya are enduring favourites), to capsule hotels (Nine Hours in Otemachi), and even love hotels, to be experienced at least once in a lifetime.
Fogo Island Inn, the visionary project of Zita Cobb, a native of Newfoundland, who created a true ecosystem at the intersection of hospitality, artistic residencies and local life.
The Sextantio albergo diffuso hotels imagined by Daniele Kihlgren, whose monumental work alongside historians and artisans has restored abandoned buildings in the Abruzzo region with remarkable integrity.
And finally, the tiny Central Hotel & Café in Copenhagen—a reminder that hospitality can exist within a single room above a deeply welcoming space.
If you would like to spend more time listening, I invite you to (re)discover these three podcasts:
Impact. La beauté révélée with Thierry Teyssier (French podcast)
LISTEN
Vlan! Leadership. Créer un tourisme régénératif c’est possible with Thierry Teyssier (French podcast)
LISTEN
Back of House. Thierry Teyssier: From No Rules to Pure Emotion (English podcast)
LISTEN
Photo Credit : Cyrille George Jerusalmi et Eric Martin – Dar Ahlam – 700’000 heures lmpact