NICOLETTA MATRONE

Nicoletta Matrone

I started my career

by learning the tricks of traditional Italian cuisine from my parents who used to run an Italian deli.

After more than 10 years, I moved on and started travelling around the world as a volunteer for Non-Profit organisations.

That experience gave me the chance to meet new people, see different cultures and taste new foods, broadening my passion for cooking and unique food.

My limitless curiosity for experimenting

and trying new things in life led me to the Japanese macrobiotic philosophy by Muchio Kushio. This helped to evolve my perspective on food from something that can create a pleasant feeling of satisfaction to a means of promoting the art of self-healing.

I studied food therapy and natural cuisine by joining “La Sana Gola” Academy in Milan run by Martin Halsey. I then attained my diploma in food therapy, becoming a holistic nutritional therapist and macrobiotic chef.

I elevated my cooking expertise

to the next level by completing a diploma in haute cuisine at the Michelin star Joia Restaurant and Academy, run by Pietro Leeman in Milan.

Nowadays I’m a private freelance chef, consultant and trainer for vegetarian-mediterranean restaurant staff in Italy and in the UK. I hold public and private cooking classes for vegetarian and vegan food lovers and for team building events.

I also work with other holistic professionals (yoga, tai chi, Shiatsu, Ayurveda, TUINA teachers etc..) to organise courses and holidays in Italy and overseas. I arrange social lunches, dinners and private/business parties (catering).

My philosophy

I love cooking dishes inspired by cuisines from around the world

from vegetarian, vegan and Mediterranean specialities to Indian and Japanese menus. I use a lot of organic vegetables, from local suppliers whenever possible.

I try to give these basic ingredients a soul

cooking them with respect as I am aware of the care involved in turning a seed into a plant.

I seek simplicity and genuineness to create an interesting taste in my dishes and give an intense experience to my diners.

Preparing food is my art

It’s truly a creative expression for me, and it’s a deeply fulfilling act to nourish and feed myself and my family.

I’ve also become very involved in the health food world. This has given me a profound understanding of how the food I eat literally becomes me.

Each ingredient

comes to the kitchen with a different quality, feel and flavour, and these characteristics greatly influence the way I prepare a dish. I apply a variety of food preparation techniques to preserve the bounty of the seasons, including curing, smoking, fermenting, pickling and drying.

These preservation techniques allow me to enjoy locally available ingredients months beyond their season. What’s more, certain ingredients require additional processing to give them different nutritional properties and flavours.

I feel like a chef who is also an experimenter,

always testing out new combinations of flavours and old traditional techniques (like using a fermentation process to make vegan cheese, with nuts and non-dairy milk) to amaze both myself and my guests.

NICOLETTA MATRONE

MENU