Vinson Petrillo

Vinson’s career started at the age of 15, however his interests and love for food started much earlier. Growing up in an Italian family, there was one day that we could all sit around the table and agree on one thing, that nobody could make a better Sunday dinner than my mother and father. Roasting pork bones for bolognese sauce, slowly simmering handmade meatballs and braciole, sweating garlic and red pepper flakes in the most flavorful olive oil for the broccolini; this was the true start of Vinson’s culinary career. At the age of 15, Vinson started working for the Parsippany Hilton, working in a kitchen seemed so natural he decided to make it part of his life.Read More

Vinson’s career started at the age of 15, however his interests and love for food started much earlier. Growing up in an Italian family, there was one day that we could all sit around the table and agree on one thing, that nobody could make a better Sunday dinner than my mother and father. Roasting pork bones for bolognese sauce, slowly simmering handmade meatballs and braciole, sweating garlic and red pepper flakes in the most flavorful olive oil for the broccolini; this was the true start of Vinson’s culinary career. At the age of 15, Vinson started working for the Parsippany Hilton, working in a kitchen seemed so natural he decided to make it part of his life. After graduating Johnson and Wales University in Charleston S.C. Vinson started working in the best restaurants he could find, usually one or two week stints for free to gain experience. A stage at No. 9 Park in Boston made Vinson realize his passion for fine dining food and quickly applied to Toppers at the Wauwinet in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Under the guidance of chef David Daniels, Vinson worked his way up the ranks and was quickly promoted to Sous Chef. After three years, Vinson moved on to become the Executive Sous Chef at The Bernards Inn in Bernardsville NJ. Vinson’s next step was NYC, joining Chef Kyle Mcclelland as chef de cuisine of Caviar Russe on Madison Avenue. After two years, Vinson and Kyle parted ways and Vinson took on the Executive Sous Chef role at Abe and Arthur's working for Franklin Becker. There, Vinson challenged himself every night and gained the confidence to run a successful, busy restaurant. Currently, Vinson Petrillo is the Chef de Cuisine at Prospect in Brooklyn, NY, a modern new American restaurant with a focus on sustainability, as well as local seasonal ingredients.