Larry Jayasekara is head chef at Gordon Ramsay’s Michelin-starred Knightsbridge fine dining restaurant Pétrus. Born in Sri Lanka, Jayasekara began his culinary career at Pétrus in 2004 when it was housed within the Berkeley Hotel and continued to work there when the restaurant was re-named Marcus Wareing.

He then worked for Alain Roux at the three Michelin-starred Waterside Inn, before completing a season with noted French chef Michel Bras at this three-star restaurant in Laguiole in the Aveyron. He is also the former executive chef of The Manor country house hotel at Weston-on-the-Green in Oxfordshire. At the beginning of 2015 he re-joined Gordon Ramsay Restaurants as senior sous chef at Pétrus and was promoted to head chef soon after.

“We strive to provide an exceptional and memorable experience to every one of our guests here at Pétrus,” says Jayasekera. “Having worked my way up within the group, I’ve been able to further develop the skills I need to lead a successful team.”

The Michelin Guide says Pétrus is a ‘sophisticated and elegant affair and the cooking is rooted in classical techniques but isn’t afraid of using influences from further afield’. The stunning dining room with its scarlet feature wall, well-spaced linen-clad tables, designer grey leather chairs and white pillars with chrome detailing is arranged around a centre-piece cylindrical floor to ceiling glass-fronted wine room that houses the restaurant’s amazing collection, including nine vintages of the restaurant’s namesake wine, the oldest of which dates back to 1943.

Jayasekara’s food is beautifully presented, exactingly arranged on the plate with flair, making everything from ballotine of rabbit, petit pois a la Francaise and red wine jus to line caught sea bass with langoustine, fennel, rouille and bouillabaisse sauce, a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. Jayasekara often adds an exotic twist to luxury ingredients, serving Orkney scallops with braised kombu, seasoning a ballantine of quail, foie gras and sweetcorn with dukkah spice and finishing Brixham turbot, oyster, coco beans and girolles with lemongrass.

Jayasekara won Craft Guild of Chefs’ Young Chef of the Year 2007 and National Chef of the Year in 2016, having been a finalist in both 2013 and 2014. During his time as senior sous chef at Raymond Blanc’s two Michelin starred Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Jayasekara was named Employee of the Year.

Larry enjoys sharing his expertise and has become a highly regarded mentor within the group, providing outstanding support to his team in order for them to continue to push for excellence.