Nina Matsunaga is the head chef at The Black Bull in Sedbergh, a family business which she runs with husband James Ratcliffe. Although no stranger to award wins and accolades, her recent inclusion within the CODE Hospitality’s – 100 Most Influential Women In Hospitality has been a rather special moment in her career. 

The CODE list is designed to champion women in hospitality and shine a light on the diverse range of opportunities and career paths available to women in the industry –  from support networks to sommeliers to chefs.

This year’s list includes women making their mark on the industry, from the figures we recognise on our TV screens, to the lesser-known figures working tirelessly behind the scenes, each doing important things in their own fields of expertise.

The categories in the 2020 list includes chefs, operators, teams, media, partnerships, ones to watch and, for the first time, a hall of fame.

This year’s judges included CODE founder Adam Hyman and editor Lisa Markwell, as well as Jason Atherton, Claire Koffmann, Hels Cheung and Clerkenwell Boy.

Nina sits alongside two fellow Cumbrian’s in this year’s list, Grace Dent, Guardian restaurant critic and journalist, who features in the Comms and Media category and Jancis Robinson OBE, Financial Times wine columnist, wine critic and wine writer, who features in the Hall of Fame category.

Nina Matsunaga, commented, ‘’I found out on 20th March that I’d been included in the CODE list as One To Watch and I’m still flabbergasted to be honest, especially being listed alongside the likes of Grace Dent and Jancis Robinson. I’ve just been doing my thing day to day; I don’t consider what I do to be any different to what the next person is doing. But that said it does give me a future platform to promote what women are achieving in the industry, to highlight the careers available and hopefully encourage more women into what is still a very male dominated industry.’’