Ramsay Chef Jason Atherton Quits Maze to Open Own Restaurant

Chef Jason Atherton poses in this undated handout photo, provided to the media on Thursday, April 1, 2010. Atherton, who is leaving his mentor, Gordon Ramsay, to open his own restaurant. Photo: Sauce Communications via Bloomberg

Gordon Ramsay speaks during an interview at his new restaurant, ''Gordon Ramsay au Trianon'' in Versailles, France, on March 21, 2008. Photographer: Alastair Miller/Bloomberg News

The dining area of Maze Grill in London, U.K. Chef Jason Atherton dropped foie gras from the menu to focus on seasonal British ingredients and to support U.K. farmers. Source: Ben Anders/Sauce via Bloomberg

Jason Atherton, the chef who created Maze restaurant, is leaving the Gordon Ramsay group after nine years to open his own establishment in central London.

The British chef, who headed Ramsay’s Verre in Dubai before founding Maze in 2005, said he was looking forward to the challenge of running his own venue and rejected speculation he had fallen out with his mentor.

“It upsets me that people want to have a dig at Gordon and will use this as a negative,” Atherton, 38, said today in a telephone interview. “It’s good if I succeed because it means Gordon has does a good job training his guys. I’m really excited to get a chance to use all the knowledge I’ve accumulated over 20 years cooking to finally do my own venture.”

It’s been a tough time for Ramsay, who says he has learned hard financial lessons after expanding too quickly overseas. He has opened branches of Maze in New York, Cape Town, Doha and Melbourne. An outlet in Prague closed. Another of his allies, chef Mark Sargeant, quit in November.

“Jason’s ready to fly the nest,” Ramsay said on his Twitter page. “Time for him to have his name above the door. Who doesn’t want that? I wish him every success, an amazing guy.”

Atherton’s departure from the group, scheduled for the end of April, also follows the exit in August 2008 of Marcus Wareing, who was publicly critical of Ramsay. Even the public display of affection between Atherton and Ramsay won’t quell speculation about tensions. Rumors have circulated for months within the restaurant business that Atherton was quitting.

His departure was reported earlier on Caterersearch.com.

Travel Plans

Atherton told Bloomberg he will continue cooking at Maze until the end of April before going overseas, probably to Spain, to gain more experience in friends’ kitchens. He wouldn’t give any details about his London plans. Atherton was the first U.K. chef to complete a stage at El Bulli, north of Barcelona.

“I’m still working at Maze because I’m not one of those chefs who takes his foot off the gas because he’s leaving,” he said. “Making sure Maze is one of the best restaurants in London is my job. It’s what I do. I’m leaving now because an opportunity has come up and I want to give it a go.

“I’m a bit worried but at the same time I’m excited because it’s been my lifelong dream.”

(Richard Vines is the chief food critic for Bloomberg News. Opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer on the story: Richard Vines in London at rvines@bloomberg.net.