Eric Chavot to leave Bob Bob Cité for 'private family reasons'

Chef Eric Chavot is to leave Bob Bob Cité for "private family reasons" at the end of January 2020.

Chavot took over as head chef of sister restaurant Bob Bob Ricard in August 2017, going on to take the helm at Bob Bob Cité in London's Leadenhall Building, better known as the Cheesegrater, when it opened in May this year.

Both restaurants are owned by Leonid Shutov who said: “Since joining us over two years ago at Bob Bob Ricard and subsequently as chef at Bob Bob Cité, Eric’s culinary genius has shone through in every detail. At Bob Bob Ricard he expertly refined our offering, further improving our classic dishes and adding new ones, including vegan dishes which he insisted must be at least as luxurious as everything else on the menu and which have delighted our guests.

“The menu he created for Bob Bob Cité, with his perfectionist’s palate and eye, has proved the perfect culinary offering for the restaurant which, it is well-known, has been my labour of love. I feel we have created something truly special together and Eric leaves a lasting legacy.”

Eric Chavot adds, “It has been a great honour and pleasure to oversee the refinement and development of the menus at Bob Bob Ricard and Bob Cité for the past two years and more. I couldn’t be prouder of the hugely enthusiastic welcome Bob Bob Cité has received, not only from critics and the press but more importantly from the thousands of delighted customers we have served since opening.

“I am leaving the cooking in the capable hands of the teams in both restaurants, who I am confident will maintain the high standards which are rightly expected of the Bob Bob brand.”

Chavot previously held two Michelin stars at London's Capital hotel, which he had joined in 1999, before taking three years out of the kitchen.

He returned to London in 2013 to open Brasserie Chavot at the Westbury hotel, closing the restaurant in 2015.

The celebrated chef was honoured with the Craft Guild of Chefs' Special Award in 2014 for his commitment to the industry and outstanding contribution to the British food scene.

A new head chef will be announced in due course.