Alberto Cavaliere appointed head chef at Michelin-starred Pied à Terre

Alberto Cavaliere has been named head chef at the Michelin-starred Pied à Terre in London’s Fitzrovia. 

He replaces Phil Kearsey, who joined the restaurant roughly a year ago from Corrigan’s Mayfair, where he was executive chef.

Prior to Kearsey, the kitchen was led by Asimakis Chaniotis for 13 years. The 2019 Acorn Award winner left the restaurant in March 2024 to seek investors for his own launch.

The 35-year-old Cavaliere was born in Britain to Italian parents and was most recently sous chef at Nieves Barragán Mohacho’s Michelin-starred Sabor in London.

He was previously sous chef at the two-Michelin-starred L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Paris and commis chef at Marcus Wareing’s now-closed Marcus at the Berkeley.

Cavaliere pursued a career in the British Army for four years before a serious injury led to him being medically discharged.

This prompted him to join Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen on an apprenticeship scheme, where he discovered his passion for fine dining while cooking at Chez Bruce in London’s Wandsworth.

In his first head chef role at Pied à Terre, Cavaliere will be cooking playful dishes grounded in classical French technique, such as ‘tuna’ (watermelon) crudo with cucumber ponzu, pickled black radish and sand carrots served with fermented kumquat, roasted sesame, onion and nori.

He will also be working closely with sous chef Antonis Gkoumis and long-standing owners David Moore and wife Valerie Woods.

Cavaliere said: “It’s the honour of my career to have been appointed head chef of Pied à Terre, one of London’s few truly legendary restaurants. I’m grateful to David and Val for entrusting me with maintaining Pied à Terre’s reputation for excellence, while also giving me the freedom to innovate and explore my own passions.” 

Moore added: “We’re excited to welcome Alberto as our new head chef at Pied à Terre. He has an outstanding CV including one- and two-star Michelin restaurants in London and Paris, and it’s clear to us that he has what it takes to carry forward our reputation for exceptional quality while taking us in a more contemporary direction.” 

Pied à Terre launched on London’s Charlotte Street in 1991 and has since been home to chefs such as Richard Neat, Tom Aikens, Shane Osborn, Marcus Eaves and Andy McFadden.

The restaurant has held at least one Michelin star (two during the tenure of Neat and Aikens) since 1993.