Vincent Zanardi

Executive Pastry Chef

Vincent Zanardi, our executive pastry chef, was born near Paris, where, for the most part, he was brought up by his grandmother, an excellent home-cook. As a boy he became fascinated with everything to do with the kitchen. Many of his parents’ friends were chefs, and he would watch riveted as they seemed almost magically, to produce delicious dishes from a mere few, simple ingredients. At 15, he was apprenticed at La Maison d’Alsace in Paris, where his supervisor noticed his gift for pâtisserie-making and suggested that he devote himself to this speciality. Vincent went on to chef in many Michelin-starred kitchens in France, before working for Joël Robuchon and coming to London at his behest in 2006, to help open L’ Atelier de Robuchon in Covent Garden, which was soon awarded a Michelin Star. Since 2012 he has been pivotal to the running of the five restaurants housed within Robin’s clubs, and now he has assumed yet another rôle, becoming Robin’s partner in Birley Bakery.

Francesco Coratella

Executive Pastry Chef

Francesco Coratella, our Executive Pastry Chef, hails from Puglia in Southern Italy, where he began his career in 2008 under the guidance of pastry maestro Gino Fabbri. His journey soon took him to London, first at Banca, and then to Hakkasan Mayfair, where he became head pastry chef, creating desserts that combined Asian flavours with classical techniques. He went on to refine his craft at The Langham with Cherish Finden, before a three-year tenure as Head Pastry Chef at The Savoy.

In 2020 Francesco joined Robin Birley’s group of private members’ clubs, where he now leads a team of over thirty pastry chefs across London and New York. More recently, at Birley Bakery, he has become renowned for his panettone, produced with a 60-year-old natural yeast named “Antonio.” In 2024, he represented the United Kingdom at the Panettone World Cup.