Executive Chef, The Restaurant at Zero George & Costa*
Charleston, SC
Participating In: An Edible Odyssey & Passport to Pairings
Vinson Petrillo’s passion for natural, local ingredients is matched only by his deft gastronomic artistry. A graduate of Johnson and Wales, Petrillo’s Italian ancestry gave him an early appreciation for festive dining and bold flavors.
He honed his culinary skills in some of New York’s finest restaurants, including Caviar Russe and Abe & Arthur’s. Before coming to The Restaurant at Zero George, Petrillo served as chef de cuisine at Prospect, a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient, in Brooklyn. Petrillo also serves as the executive chef of Costa*, the latest restaurant in the Easton Porter Group portfolio, which serves coastal Italian fare and opened in November 2023.
In addition to mastering the kitchen, Petrillo’s talent has also wowed the TV camera, as two-time winner of Food Network’s Chopped and Chopped Champions, and on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters. In 2015, his innovative, technical cuisine won him the regional title at the San Pellegrino Young Chef competition and a spot in the international competition at the Expo Milano 2015, sharing the stage with the world’s best and brightest young chefs.
Petrillo has served as executive chef for The Restaurant at Zero George since its opening in 2012 and opened and runs Costa* as the executive chef. In addition, he acts as the Creative Culinary Director for Easton Porter Group, the luxury hospitality company behind Zero George and Costa*. Petrillo also leads twice-weekly cooking school classes within the Restaurant’s professional kitchen, offering another avenue to introduce the community into a different kind of kitchen culture.