Thierry Diagaradjou – Executive Head Chef, The O2 arena – Levy UK + Ireland
Thierry started his culinary career at the prestigious La Coupole restaurant in Paris as a trainee chef. Thierry’s talents were quickly recognised and he worked his way up to Sous Chef at the iconic Mille Huit Cents, Paris.
In 2001 Thierry moved across the Channel to London and worked at both the Hilton Metropole and Hilton Park Lane. Thierry was invited to be a guest chef at James Beard House, New York, the home of one of the most prominent figures in the history of American cuisine. After making his way up to Chef de Cuisine Thierry felt ready for a new challenge.
In 2017, Thierry joined Compass and The O2 Levy family and what a mark his made. Thierry has been instrumental in driving menu development and innovation during his time at The O2 and his is the heart and soul of our kitchen under the tent.
Now Executive Head Chef, Thierry’s passion for sustainability is a huge driving force for all of us. Thierry carefully considers all products before including them on our menus with a focus of seasonal produce which is sustainably sourced and as local as can be. We were the first venue to remove beef from all menus. Furthermore, food wastage is intricately recorded and efforts to minimise this are ongoing. A portion of our food waste goes to our on site wormery which helps create a fantastic and sustainable fertiliser.
Thierry’s career highlights include some truly iconic events such as the annual BRIT awards, Laver Cup and the ATP finals. Thierry is proud to have developed all plant-based menus for our Green Rider events such as, Billie Eilish and Moby.
Out of the kitchen Thierry likes to unwind on the Badminton court. At home Thierry loves to experiment with French-Indian fusion cuisine. Think modern European with a sprinkle of spice. Thierry’s biggest critic is his ten year old son, Nicolas. Nicolas already has a very refined palate as his favourite restaurant is Sushi Samba so had very high expectations.
