Produce, Toulouse and Petrus

How a stalled university degree led to Orson Vergnaud becoming head chef at one of London's most notorious establishments

Text - Nicolas Payne-Baader

Orson Vergnaud has the kind of lean intensity that would put him right at home in a Tour de France peloton. As the head chef of London institution Petrus, Orson shares other similarities with le Tour, not least the idea of  marshalling a mass for a singular goal, of marginal gains and gruelling effort. Ensconced in the luxury of Belgravia, the Michelin starred restaurant was once the crown jewel of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant empire during its early 2000s pomp.

Originally opened in St James’s Street in 1999 by Ramsay – with a young Marcus Wareing as head chef – it became a symbol of the era’s excess, making headlines in 2001 when a table spent £44,000 on wine in a single sitting. Nowadays, Petrus still has one of London’s most sought after fine wine lists, but the vibe is altogether less Patrick Bateman with a newfound focus on the food, and produce a cornerstone of their offering. Three years ago, the Petrus team turned to Orson, finding someone to respect the tradition of the restaurant but refocus the cooking, bringing in a greater respect for the ingredients while pushing the boundaries of how the restaurant could source ingredients and bringing through a new class of young chefs in a drastically changed work environment.