Frenchie has appointed Ivan Vukadinovic as the new Head Chef at its Covent Garden flagship from August 2021.
Having joined Frenchie as a demi Chef de Partie in 2017 – a year after the restaurant opened - Vukadinovic has grown with the company, working closely alongside the restaurant group’s Chef Patron, Gregory Marchand.
His appointment follows time spent at Frenchie London and its sister-restaurant on the Rue du Nil, Paris, where he developed a passion for modern French cooking.
Vukadinovic’s impressive career started at the Belmond Hotel Cirpiani in Venice aged 18, where he was the historic hotel’s youngest ever Demi Chef de Partie. He then moved to London, finding home at Frenchie Covent Garden as Chef de Partie.
His talent was quickly recognised and he was offered the chance to move to Frenchie’s flagship restaurant on the Rue du Nil, Paris as Junior Sous Chef. Here he cemented his relationship with the Frenchie group, learning and training alongside Greg Marchand and team. During his tenure the restaurant gained its first Michelin star, firmly pinning Frenchie on the culinary map.
Following this, Vukadinovic developed his newfound skillset, spending time in the kitchens of some of the UK’s finest Michelin-starred restaurants including The Clove Club, HIDE and Simon Rogan’s Roganic.
His training and expertise in both classic and modern French cookery, as well as Italian cuisine makes a perfect match for Frenchie’s contemporary menus inspired by the Paris, London and New York restaurant scenes.
Aged just 26, Vukadinovic leads a refreshingly youthful team at Frenchie Covent Garden, which inspires the next generation of hospitality stars both front and back of house. In 2020, the entire Frenchie team was aged 30 or under, which was recognised by CODE Hospitality’s prestigious ‘30 Under 30’ award listing.
Vukadinovic said, “I joined Frenchie as a junior chef and am so thankful to have been given the chance to develop my career with the teams both in London and Paris. I knew early on that Frenchie was going to be the place for me, and I’m so pleased Greg and team have supported me and my ideas over the past four years.
'I’m thrilled to now be Head Chef here in Covent Garden and look forward to getting stuck in with my team, whom I hope I can support in the same way. I am so excited to be taking up this new challenge and can’t wait to show you our new dishes in the coming weeks”.
Greg Marchand Chef Patron cmomented, “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have been able to promote within our Frenchie family and Ivan could not be more deserving.
'Seeing talent grow from strength to strength is something we value here, and Ivan’s skills both in and out of the kitchen are exemplary – I know the restaurant will be in the very best of hands under his guidance.
'His talent, skills in the kitchen and commitment have proved he was the perfect choice of us and we can’t wait to welcome guests in to see for themselves.”