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| BIOGRAPHY |
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Brought up near Lyon, by an
Italian mother and Ukrainian father,
Pierre Levicky began cooking at the
age of 12 because his mother only
cooked for the three children at
lunchtime, “In the evening, she cooked
for my father and asked us to do what
we wanted, ourselves”.
Pierre went to train further at
Grenoble’s Ecole Lesdisguieres,
arguably France’s best cookery School
at the time and enjoyed some
educational and inspirational short
lived stunts in the kitchens of some
great traditional French chefs.
Pierre completed his studies by
gaining a business degree in 1985 and
a licence of English and German.
After two years in Belfast following a
year of teaching French as a foreign
language, Pierre Levicky was given the
chance to open his first restaurant in
a small classy hotel. Within a week
Pierre opened with a bang, soon good
food, good menu and with a distinctive
marketing flair, the “Pierre Levicky
French Restaurant” became a hot spot
for the discerning diners of Northern
Ireland to the delight of the hotel
owner. |
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Pierre then carried on putting
his undeniable skills to success to a loss-making
luxury restaurant on the coast of Northern Ireland
by convincing the owners that menus were to be
printed without prices and by advertising in the
National Newspaper The Belfast telegraph that “
Eating customers would pay what they thought the
meal they had had was worth” and ensuring that
customers were given a blank bill with a pen at
the end of their meal.
Not only did Pierre Levicky instantly create
attention (press, local radio, TV), (every body
knows that there are not any people meaner that a
Northern Irish*!!! *in French in the text) He also
took the opportunity to judge the pricing for his
new menu. And of course to ensure that the food
was superb, that the service impeccable and the
bills adequate, he ran the kitchen and advised the
doubtful owners on how to really treat their
guests. It really worked well and this restaurant
which was in perdition soon regained the attention
and the recognition that it deserved.
Soon after, Pierre found himself in Scotland’s
Edinburgh and enjoyed recognition as the prized
chef of Mackintosh’s restaurant in the west End.
Noted by the AA, the Good Food Guide and by many
customers, Pierre ensured that the owners of this
restaurant eager to sell, sold at the best price
possible due to its now solid reputation.
Pierre moved on to open the famous Michelin
recommended Vintners Room Restaurant as the chef
consultant of David and Suzanne Baird. With
tremendous flair and a gifted understanding of
customers expectation, combined with hard work,
professionalism and a no nonsense approach Pierre
again ensured that the Vintners Room became the
success it is still today.
Having made sure that David had a fully competent
team on board Pierre moved on to open in 1988 the
very first Pierre Victoire restaurant in
Edinburgh.
In less than 10 years, the Pierre Victoire
Restaurant chain counted more than 100 restaurants
spread as far as Galway, London, Edinburgh and
Brussels with a global turnover of over 40 million
pounds and around 2000 employees.
During these years Pierre Levicky, the genius
entrepreneur who brought high quality French food
inexpensively to the United kingdom through the
brand of Pierre Victoire, Chez Jules, Beppe
Vitorio and Pierre Lapin, controlled and managed
successfully the Pierre Victoire chain of
restaurants with his team of managers, operators
and directors.
Pierre went on to create Bleu in Victoria Street
for one of his former Franchisees, bringing to
Edinburgh a brand new way of eating. In 1999
Pierre invented the Chunky Healthy Lines, the
striking force behind the thundering success of
the Apartment in Brunsfield road of Edinburgh.
Having found the sites for the restaurants, Pierre
negotiated favourable terms of the leases and
vetted that competent key staff joined hands to
ensure that both restaurants are the successes
they still are today.
Most recently Pierre has been busy taking on
consultancy projects in the catering industry
advising large and small companies and operators
and spending time creating new food concept in his
restaurant in the South of Spain.
“It is this directness-so extraordinary among
businessmen- that makes talking to Pierre Levicky
such a refreshing experience. He doesn’t quibble,
the doesn’t hedge, he talks prices, ratios and
anxieties …”
Gillian Glover
The Scotsman Newspaper |
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