i. Biography
Before John Norris Rogers was named Eat Out Woolworths Financial Services Chef of the Year in 2022, the shape of his career was already set by kitchen discipline. Silwood School of Cookery provided the technical base, and the first professional stops — La Colombe, La Petite Colombe, and PIER in Cape Town and Franschhoek, South Africa — placed him in houses where timing, repetition, and standards would have been non-negotiable.
The Climb
Training at Silwood School of Cookery led Rogers into the working rhythm of a young chef, starting as intern at La Colombe. That early post put him inside a kitchen where precision and consistency were part of the daily brief. He later worked as Private Chef at ski resort in French Alps, a role that asks a cook to keep the standard intact while the setting changes. From 2016, Rogers was Sous Chef at La Colombe, a step that moved him from observation into a larger share of responsibility. In 2018, he became Head Chef at La Petite Colombe, and in 2023 he took the Head Chef role at PIER. The pattern is clear: advancement earned through service, repetition, and the steady accumulation of house standards. Today, John is chef of La Table de Nernier.
Today
Rogers’ cooking reads as the product of kitchens rather than commentary. The line from student to intern, then to Sous Chef and Head Chef, is what gives the work its structure. Each house named in that progression adds another layer of discipline, and the result is a chef formed by process as much as by placement. That continuity matters. His modern cuisine is presented as an extension of the same training and pressure that shaped the earlier roles, with flavour held close to the center. The emphasis sits on repetition, restraint, and the kind of improvement that comes from working through service after service.
Career - Chef — La Table de Nernier, France - Intern — La Colombe - Private Chef — ski resort, French Alps - Sous Chef — La Colombe (from 2016) - Head Chef — La Petite Colombe (from 2018) - Head Chef — PIER (from 2023) Education: Silwood School of Cookery
Signature
John's signature dishes include Gourmand.
In Their Words “My vision for the future is to never stop learning and discovering, without ever losing the importance of flavour.”
Recognition
John Norris Rogers has received The Best Chef Awards — One Knife (2025). In 2022, Rogers was named Eat Out Woolworths Financial Services Chef of the Year. The recognition sits alongside the route that led to it: Silwood School of Cookery, La Colombe, La Petite Colombe, PIER, and the sequence of roles that marks his progress through the profession. Another line from Rogers places the future in the same frame as the work itself: "My vision for the future is to never stop learning and discovering, without ever losing the importance of flavour." Read against the career that precedes it, the statement is plain: the practice is ongoing, and the standard remains anchored in taste.
FAQ What is John Norris Rogers's current role? As of 2026, John Norris Rogers is Chef of La Table de Nernier. Where did John Norris Rogers train or study? John Norris Rogers trained at Silwood School of Cookery. What is John Norris Rogers known for? Modern cuisine.
