Impressive Curriculum Vitae
- Joanne Tapiolas
- Aug 6
- 2 min read
Sisto Luigi Vergano (aka Louis) was born in Fubine (Alessandria) Italy on the 12th May 1884. He was arrested on the 11th June 1940 and lived with his wife Maria at 19 Wykeham Road, London. One of London’s great chefs, he was listed in the newspaper on the 9th July 1940, as one of the chefs saved after the Arandora Star was torpedoed.
Luigi’s curriculum vitae was impressive. He started in 1897 as an apprentice cook at Hotel Londres, Alessandria, Italy. In Milan he worked at Savini Restaurant, Hotel Milan, Eden Restaurant and Nova Restaurant. He worked at Hotel Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland and Hotel Metropole, Cannes, France. In London he was employed at Previtalias Hotel, Carlton Hotel, Pall Mall Restaurant, St James Palace Hotel and Marguerita’s Restaurant. Luigi had a daughter Leda, a son Giacomo studying medicine, a son in the British Army and a son Vittorio a future restauranteur.
Together with Cavalieri Bartolomeo Calderoni, Maître Chef Louis [Luigi] Vergano worked at Quaglino’s Restaurant from 1928-1936 as head chef then from 1938-1940 as catering buyer.
Calderoni and Vergano were the ‘celebrity’ chefs of the day. They were ‘famous people’ praising Countess Morphy’s Cookbook in 1935 with Luigi commenting 'will be extremely useful for housewives'. Together they were organisers of culinary contests in London as a way of profiling fine dining and great chefs. In February 1939, Bartolomeo and Louis operated ‘fashionable’ cookery classes twice a week together with Monsieur Grazzien of Aperitif Grill at Quaglino’s.
Luigi was slow to work in camp kitchens, which he did not do until May 1944. Possibly he saw compliance and participation as a way for release. He had a good camp record, was not considered a security risk and he associated with Bartolomeo Calderoni and Francesco Capra.
On the 20th June 1944, Luigi was released to Melbourne for employment as a cook for the Commercial Travellers Association. On the 6th February 1945, Luigi embarked the SS Athlone Castle for return to the UK as a ‘released internee’. He arrived in Liverpool, England on the 29th March 1945 and returned to his family at 19 Wykeham Road, Hendon. Luigi died in Italy in 1953.
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