Revelations: Nina Matsunaga, head chef, the Black Bull, Sedburgh
We delve into the life and inner thoughts of a top chef. This week: Nina Matsunaga, head chef, the Black Bull, Sedburgh
What was your best subject at school?
The arts by a mile
What was your first job?
Tutoring kids at a Japanese/German learning centre after school
What was your first job in catering?
Waitress
What do you do to relax?
Walking, reading, drawing, watching films – anything that actively takes my mind off food
Which is your favourite restaurant?
How do you choose? Abroad: anywhere in New York, but especially Blue Hill Stone Barn. In the UK I love Brat in London
What is your favourite drink?
Sparkling water, I think I have a problem. I'm obsessed with it
What is your favourite cuisine?
South East Asian/East Asian food
Which ingredient do you hate the most?
Two things: blackcurrant – I have an inexplicable, irrational phobia of round berries – and tinned pineapple, because I was forced to eat it in primary school. I ate it, it came back up within minutes
What flavour combinations do you detest?
Dried fruit and meat/savoury
Which person in catering have you most admired?
The Roux brothers and Dan Barber
Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?
A rice cooker? But what would I do without electricity or rice?
If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
Probably a Roman emperor, I think that would be pretty fascinating and quite fun too… I guess I'd have to be careful which one I decided to choose
If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?
Working at an animal sanctuary, a rescue centre or possibly a zoo
Tell us a secret...
You can't have any in catering, especially in a small town… everyone is a gossip
What irritates you most about the industry?
People who really, really, need to tell you they're more into food than anyone else in the world
What's your favourite book?
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Flying Classroom by Erich Kästner
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