Alexis Gauthier

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About this episode

Alexis Gauthier is a multi-award-winning French chef and successful London restaurateur. In 2016 he became vegan, and in 2021 he removed all animal products from his restaurant menus entirely.

"I believe it is our duty as human beings to leave the planet in a better state than we found it, and a very good place to start is addressing the impact we make with our needless and selfish consumption of animals. I am a classically trained French chef who held Michelin stars for 12 years and the thought of someone like me being vegan would have been insane five or ten years ago. But now the world is waking up. This is the future."

From Avignon, in the south of France, Alexis began his career in the grand hotels of Nice and Monaco, under the eye of Chef Alain Ducasse. It was there he first began to form his fundamental cooking style, a light and uncomplicated celebration of the best seasonal produce, often led by fruits and vegetables, chosen instinctively and prepared intuitively. Opening Gauthier Soho in 2010, Alexis knew from the very beginning that vegetables would be a main focus, and made his vegetable menu stand shoulder to shoulder with the then classic gout du jour menu.

When global animal rights charity PETA ran an international vegan month back in October 2015, Gauthier Soho took part ‘really to test the water’ and completely removed all animal products from the vegetarian menu. He was overwhelmed with the positive response, winning UK Best Vegan Menu Award.

In 2016, Alexis himself became vegan, and announced he was planning to turn the entire restaurant plant-based. In 2021, this became a reality, and Gauthier Soho became the first classical French fine-dining vegan restaurant in the world. He recently opened the more casual 123V restaurant - also 100% vegan - in London’s Mayfair. Alexis is now a regular speaker at debates and discussions and is dedicated to exploring the possibilities of deliciousness using an animal free canvas.

See Alexis Gauthier speak at Plant Based World Europe 2022, Europe’s biggest 100% plant-based professional event.

30th November – 1st December 2022 OLYMPIA LONDON, UK