Alexis Gauthier spent decades at the summit of classical French cooking, training under Alain Ducasse, earning Michelin stars and building one of London’s most celebrated restaurants. Then he did something few chefs of his generation would dare to do: he removed meat, fish, dairy and every other animal product from his menus.
When Gauthier Soho became fully plant-based, Alexis says he lost 99% of his existing customers. In this remarkably candid conversation, he explains why he took the risk, how he rebuilt the restaurant around compassionate French gastronomy and why his greatest regret is not making the change sooner.
We also discuss the brutal economics of running a London restaurant, why fine dining may be safer than the middle market, whether Michelin-starred restaurants are finally improving their vegan food and the unexpected challenges of operating an entirely animal-free kitchen, from wine and honey to seaweed and figs.
Alexis also looks back on his extraordinary childhood in Avignon, where horse steak cooked in brown butter was an everyday lunch and a glass of horse blood was considered medicine. Funny, provocative and deeply personal, this is the story of a chef who completely overturned everything he had been trained to believe.
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