Eric Crouillère-Chavot

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Eric Crouillère-Chavot

After working for Pierre Koffmann, Nico Ladenis, Marco Pierre White and Raymond Blanc, Eric Crouillère-Chavot learnt that there's more than one way of being successful as a chef. He also knows a little about failure. His first venture earned him a Michelin star, but ended on the proverbial financial rocks. Since taking over the kitchens at the Capital he has found the ideal shop-window for his skills. "I take the classic and push it to the maximum," he says. Inside two years, he has earned the London hotel's restaurant its second star, partly, he concedes, thanks to the support he has received from owner David Levin and the hotel's managing director, David's son Joseph. He arrived in England 14 years ago, almost surprised with himself for pursuing a career in cooking: "My father told me that if I did a two-year apprenticeship, I would either leave the profession or I would become a chef for life. I had done my two years and I wanted to quit." At the Capital, supported by a 19-strong brigade, he cooks French cuisine which reflects his family ties to Paris, Arcachan near Bordeaux and Juan-Les-Pins on the CÁƒÂ´te dÁ¢Â€Â™Azur.