An homage to Bruno Loubet

by Pete Dreyer12 October 2017

An homage to Bruno Loubet

by Pete Dreyer12 October 2017

A true icon of London’s culinary scene for thirty-five years, chef Bruno Loubet is saying goodbye to the UK and heading off for the sunny shores of Australia. We take a retrospective look at his pioneering career in the capital.

An homage to Bruno Loubet

by Pete Dreyer12 October 2017

Pete Dreyer

Pete worked as a food writer at Great British Chefs.

Pete worked as a food writer at Great British Chefs and trained at Leiths School of Food and Wine in London. Although there’s very little he won’t eat, his real passion is health and nutrition, and showing people that healthy food can be delicious too. When he’s not writing or cooking, you’ll probably find him engrossed in a bowl of pho.

Whilst the likes of France, Italy and Spain all have their own very distinct culinary characters, Britain is rather a different beast when it comes to gastronomy. This island is a melting pot; an amalgamation of cultures, and people from all over the world have left their mark on our food scene. It’s quite fitting in that sense that one of Britain’s most influential chefs ever is a Frenchman. Few if any have left quite such an indelible signature on British food as Bruno Loubet.

Look around the restaurant scene today and you’ll see that seasonal British food is the new trend, with restaurateurs around the country adapting their menus to give meat and vegetables equal billing. That, arguably, all started with Bruno. When he opened Grain Store in 2013, he turned the tables on conventional cuisine, bringing vegetables to the fore, and making vegetarian and vegan food accessible to a new generation of restaurant-goers.

With Grain Store now sold, and Bruno moving to the rather sunnier climes of Queensland to realise his love for agriculture and food, we thought it only fitting to pay homage to the great chef with a retrospective of his career in London. Adieu, Bruno, et bon chance!

Born in Bordeaux in 1961, Bruno developed a love for cooking and vegetables from a young age, helping his father harvest fruit and vegetables from his allotment

Bruno knew he wanted to be a chef from the age of ten, and he trained in Bordeaux before working in Brussels and Copenhagen

In 1982, Bruno performed his military service in the French Navy, working as a cook and a second master before heading to London to continue his career as a chef

In London, Bruno linked up with fellow French expat Pierre Koffmann at La Tante Claire, before moving on to Gastronome One in Fulham

By 1985, Bruno's star was rising fast, and he was voted the Good Food Guide's Young Chef of the Year

Pierre and Bruno in South Tyrol, Italy – the two remain close friends to this day

Bruno left Gastronome One in 1985, and joined the legendary Raymond Blanc at the two-Michelin-starred Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire

A year later Bruno became chef-director of Le Petit Blanc in Oxford, before heading to the Four Seasons' Inn on the Park

As well as working with Pierre and Raymond, Bruno has worked with a who's who of influential chefs in London, including Jose Pizarro (left) and Francesco Mazzei (right)

In 1990, Bruno won his first Michelin star at the Four Seasons' Inn on the Park, before leaving to set up his iconic Soho-based Bistrot Bruno in 1992

A year later, Bistrot Bruno was named Restaurant of the Year by The Times, and another Bruno restaurant – L'Odeon – won the award in 1995

Bruno moved to Brisbane in 2001, but returned to London in 2009 to manage Pierre Koffmann's La Tante Claire pop-up in Selfridges

In 2010, Bruno reopened his Bistrot Bruno Loubet at the Zetter Hotel in Clerkenwell, to the delight of London's diners

His research surrounding meat and dairy production inspired him to refocus his food. It even convinced his wife Catherine to become vegan

Bruno teamed up with the Zetter Group in 2013 to open the iconic Grain Store. The restaurant focused heavily on sustainability, promoting seasonal vegetables, featuring entirely reclaimed furniture