Revelations: Masha Rener, head chef, Lina Stores, London

We delve into the life and inner thoughts of a top chef. This week: Masha Rener, head chef at Lina Stores, London

 

What was your best subject at school?

 

Philosophy

 

What was your first job?

 

I was a waitress in a coffee shop near Portobello Road in London

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?

 

Black coffee and then an apple or banana later in the morning

 

What do you do to relax?

 

Gardening at my home in Umbria

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

Trattoria Lea in Città di Castello, Umbria

 

What’s your favourite hotel?

 

The Orchid House in Polanco in Mexico City

 

What is your favourite drink?

 

An Old Fashioned

 

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

 

Eel

 

Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with?

 

No, but it’s important that they have to be fresh and healthy

 

What flavour combinations do you detest?

 

Desserts that are a cold, gluey soup – there’s a dessert like that popular in China, I think it’s called tong sui

 

Which restaurant have you most admired?

 

Uliassi in Senigallia, a lovely restaurant on the Adriatic sea

 

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

 

My mum, she was also a chef

 

Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?

 

Marron glacé

 

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?

 

A ballet dancer, if I can dream big!

 

If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?

 

Definitely working with plants

 

What irritates you most about the industry?

 

Food waste

 

When did you last eat a hamburger?

 

At Baobab in Milan

 

What’s your favourite film?

 

Cloud Atlas

 

Who would play “you” in a film about your life?

 

Uma Thurman

 

What’s your favourite book?

 

Portraits of a Marriage by Sándor Márai

 

What is your favourite prepared product?

 

S&B Golden Curry sauce