Owner, Chef Alastair Little

Self-taught chef. As a child gained his passion for cooking whilst travelling across Europe with his father. Career : Alastair Little was at the forefront of the British restaurant revolution of the late 1980s and early 1990s, replacing the plush grill-rooms and overcooked stodge with bright minimalist design, and Eastern-influenced dishes. Head chef at 192, L'Escargot , he then set up his own eponymous restaurant in Soho in 1985. Opened second Alastair Little Restaurant in West London in 1995. Regularly seen on TV in programmes such as Ready, Steady Cook. Food often described as Modern British with an Italian twist. No longer involved in restaurant which is now owned by ex wife Kirsten Tormod. Today he runs the Tavola in West London, a food and tableware shop that supplies the lucky inhabitants of Westbourne Grove with take-away food cooked by Alastair. His first love is the simple and diverse pleasures of food from Umbria, Tuscany and the Veneto region. His Tasting Places school runs classes around the world, but Italy is the centre of his culinary universe. Has written numerous cookery books.