Jon Pollard

An English pizza chef, does it sound weird? Jon Pollard – thirtysomething – was born in the United Kingdom and as head chef of Pizza East (one of the hottest pizzerias in the British capital) indeed he's baking some excellent pizzas, from the classic ones – like margherita or that with tomato, mozzarella, anchovies and capers – to the gourmet versions such as that with potatoes, pancetta and Puzzone di Moena cheese or veal meatballs, prosciutto, cream and sage, his specialty, presented also during the latest edition of Le Grand Fooding in Milan, and paired with Champagne.

Jon, however, is a citizen of the world, or at least of Europe. When he was still a child, he moved to the South of France where his parents opened a restaurant: at the age of 10, stoves became his summer playground and he waited for the holidays not to join the kids his age in summer games, but to guard the kitchen.

After a dutiful break in the teenage years - «from 16 to 19 I was busy chasing girls» he declares in an interview, God bless him – at 20 he returns to his passion for food and spends a year visiting many kitchens in Europe, before stopping in London and “seriously” starting his career as a chef. Travels, tastings and dinners with his friends remain, however, his first source of inspiration, and his favourite pastime.

In 2009 he becomes, in fact, head chef at Pizza East – with a new address in Portobello, in addition to the one in Shoreditch – where on top of gourmet pizzas he also offers dishes that blend Italian tradition with a food traveller inspiration. From his wood oven, aside from the pizzas – which stand comparison with some of the best Italian pizzas – dishes such as the crispy pork pancetta, the salt salmon or the chicken cacciatore also come out. Next time you're in London, if you miss pizza, you know where to go.