Nina Parker
@antoninaparker is a London based chef, writer and director of her own food company ‘NINA’. Cookbooks: NINA St Tropez and Capri
What attracted you to a career in food?
I sort of fell into it naturally when I left university. It was a passion that slowly grew and now I’m obsessed. I had done many different work experiences from fashion to events to finance, and then got an internship in an Italian kitchen. I fell in love with the fresh produce and the way that they made everything simply but with good quality ingredients. During the first few weeks I suddenly knew that the kitchen was the right place for me.
What inspired you to start your own business? What was the biggest reward in taking the leap?
I knew that I wanted to have my own business before I worked in food. I grew up with my sister and mother both being self employed and this inspired me. They made it look easy so the fear was never instilled in me. I knew that it was possible and that if you loved what you did then money would eventually follow. I think this became apparent when I got my book deal a year after starting my business. You don’t usually earn much in a kitchen but then from the love of cooking, money somehow followed with the book. It was like winning the lottery!
What was the steepest learning curve?
I think the biggest learning curve has been how to handle people in business. When you are starting out or wanting to progress, you have to learn how to hustle and this takes time to learn. You don’t want to be too pushy but you need your voice to be heard. Learning to not take things personally and to throw your ego out the window is key.
What would you say to someone who is interested in starting their own business?
I always say that it is important to learn from other people who have done it already. I am constantly reading business and self-help books to get ideas. You’re on your own most of the time, so why wouldn’t you take inspiration from other successful people. You never stop learning!
You've written 2 cookbooks and you're working on a 3rd, you write a column for Tatler magazine, offer a personal chef service, run a supper club, and so much more! How do you stay creative and focused?
Ha! It seems like a lot when you say it like that! I love how varied my job is and how I get to do a range of things. I would get too tired being all day in the kitchen and then just creating for Instagram would also be too much. I enjoy the balance! I take a lot of inspiration from travel and from inspirational people. My mum is a sculptor, my sister is an interior designer and my brothers are musical so I have grown up with lots of creatives surrounding me.
How do you keep creative each day with your work? Do you have any nontraditional sources of inspiration? Is there anything that helps you get into a creative mood?
I started meditation this January and I love it! It has helped me so much with my work and personal life, and it has opened the doors for me to the wellbeing world. I have a cold shower everyday, do yoga, play tennis and say affirmations. A mixture of all this has been a game-changer and has helped massively with my creativity and focus. I enjoy making vegan recipes for environmental reasons but also because it forces me to be even more creative and work harder with flavours. I love proving to people that this type of food can be amazing!
Describe your creative process when starting a new project.
I always start with a mood board and lots of images and inspiring words. It usually involves researching cookbooks, holiday menus and seasonal ingredients. If I’m organising some new recipes, I tend to write down the titles and then cook the dish. The title has to sound delicious and then it comes to life from there. There’s a lot of envisioning that goes on in my head before it arrives on the plate.
What was the best career advice you have received?
“Take your ego out of it!” And then Roger Federer always says “it seems impossible, until it’s done!” He is my ultimate inspiration!
Traveling seems like a constant inspiration in your work; where are you most excited to go next?
I would love to go back to Japan and then maybe Thailand or Vietnam. I am obsessed with Asian food at the moment because it is all about fresh, acidic flavours. It’s particularly great when I make recipes for instagram as most of the ingredients evolve around things that your can keep in your cupboard for months. It’s especially good for vegan food!
Do you have a mantra for staying positive with your work? How do you deal with self-doubt?
I have a list of affirmations that I try to read everyday and change every so often. As I mentioned before, meditation and cold showers are amazing! These keep me on the straight and narrow.
What are your most treasured working/cooking tools?
Obviously a good knife. Then I would say a mandolin slicer and a spatula.
You’ve created many amazing plant-based recipes (the vegan carbonara on ninafood.com is my favorite!) do you have any future plans for a vegetarian or vegan cookbook?
Ah this is so wonderful to hear! Thank you so much! I am doing this online series with Millie Mackintosh and we have more plant-based recipes to come so please keep an eye out. I would love to do another book! Hopefully I will get asked to do this. I would also be keen to do a baking book one day as I think my cakes are my strong point.
What would your last meal be?
This changes all the time, but today I’ll say, Portuguese prawns with mayonnaise, crab linguine, followed by chocolate cake and a gaufre dame blanche. The last one is something that I used to have when I was little in the South of France and I spent all my pocket money on them. It’s a freshly pressed, light, fluffy waffle with a ball of vanilla ice cream, whipped vanilla cream, toasted almond flakes and a pot of hot dark chocolate sauce. I would probably naturally keel over after all of that.
*Nina and her recipes can be found at: www.ninafood.com
* Illustrations by Heather von Fritz