“I have got four brothers and sisters. We all live in different cities, some
of us abroad. We don’t write very much to each other, either. When we
meet, we might even be a little indifferent or inattentive towards each
other. But a word between us is all it takes. A word is enough, maybe
just a sentence. One of those age-old sentences, heard many times before
and repeated over and over again when we were children. […] Those very
phrases are our Latin, the language of our days gone by. They are like
Egyptian or Assyro-Babylonian hieroglyphics, the testimony of a living
family that has now ceased to exist but that merely survives in texts, saved
from the fury of raging waters and from the corrosion of time itself. Those
sentences are the very foundation of our family unit, and this foundation
will exist for as long as we are still here on earth; sentences recreating
themselves and reawakening themselves in a variety of spots on the planet”.
Natalia Ginzburg, Family Sayings

Mimi Thorisson was born and raised in Hong Kong, lived in Paris, spent summers in the South of France joining her maternal family, moved to a charming Chateau in the Médoc for eight years and now lives in Turin, Italy.
In each of these places she has enjoyed the art of cooking and has always nurtured this passion: during childhood, Mimi was always the happiest child when time was spent at the table or in the kitchen preparing. Her father took her to the best restaurants to discover delicacies and her maternal grandmother and aunt taught her the basics of cooking and the importance of protecting the value of family.
On this basis she has built her own family, with her Icelandic photographer husband Oddur Thorrison and their 8 children.
After a career in fashion, media and television, Mimi started a culinary blog, Manger, in 2010, to share recipes and daily life in the Médoc. The blog was a huge success and after this happy experience, Mimi published three books about cooking and bien vivre: A Kitchen in France: A Year of Cooking in My Farmhouse (2014, Clarkson Potter), French Country Cooking: Meals and Moments from a Village in the Vineyards (2016, Clarkson Potter) and finally Old World Italian: Recipes & Secrets from our Travels in Italy (2020, Clarkson Potter).
Mimi and Oddur collaborate on these books: Mimi writes the texts to share her delicious recipes, choice of natural products and anecdotes of everyday life and Oddur takes the stunning photographs. From these books you can breathe in the scent of butter and duck in the oven, hear the laughter of children, the everyday life of a large family, the barking of their army of Fox Terriers, beauty and elegance.

Dear Mimi, please tell us about where you come from and the most important steps in your life through the world of taste and flavour. Which food or which recipe would you associate with each and every place or period and why?

MT: I was born in Hong Kong. My father was Chinese and my mother is French. I had the most wonderful childhood growing up in Hong Kong, in a culture that had so many different traditions, from Chinese, British, French, Indian.
It was a blessing to live such a life. I was there just recently, and it was so exciting to see the preparations for the Moon festival. There are beautiful lanterns everywhere and everyone makes or buys traditional moon cakes made of lotus seed paste, red beans and eggs. I brought some back and will also make some of my own. I also love all Chinese dumplings and we love making them around the family kitchen table. It is a heart-warming activity and reunites the family. I have lived in France since I was 18, and I love following the seasons and cook accordingly.

Your aunt and your grandmother who were in the kitchen. Your father who used to take you to the very best restaurants. Eight children. What form of value do you attach to family in your life? What does family mean and how do you think that you can combine your being a mother with your professional success?

MT: I think we are definitely shaped by our family. Imagine a cake mould and the cake comes out a certain shape. Well, that’s what family is to me. It’s a shape of life. Family is our foundation, our genetic pool. It’s in our blood, it’s deeper than any ocean. As a mother, I feel very animalistic and I want to feed and protect them. It’s a natural calling, it’s inside me. Taking care of my entire family feels completely natural, so it’s not a surprise that I can easily combine it with my professional life. There is a time for everything, it’s just a question of mental and physical strength. An athlete can excel at a sport, I have the strength to be a mother and a free and creative career woman. I feel most proud about my position.

While we are still on the subject of families, you and your husband, Oddur, an exceptional photographer, have been defined as the Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi of the food world. Oddur is also a sommelier and you have produced your own personal wine: Humfri, named after one of your dogs, right? Tell us a little anecdote about your love story with your husband. What’s it like working together? Tell us about your connection with the world of wine.

MT:Ah ha! My husband and I met by pure chance one late night (or should I say early morning) in a nightclub in Paris. Should I say it was love at first sight? Yes, it was! He was living in Reykjavik and I was living in Paris. The connection was so strong, we have never left each other since those first 48 hours together. Our love is intense, pure, passionate, even after 17 years and 8 children. I wish I could share the secret of our marriage, but all I can say is that we are truly passionate and also disciplined about our philosophy in life: it’s all about love and being happy, or should I say, choosing to be happy. Wine comes with good food, and an appreciation for the finer things. We both can’t imagine a meal without wine, so it was only natural that all roads led to winemakers.

Let’s now turn to the pandemic. Everybody has suddenly started baking and making bread, turning into chefs at home intent on recreating authentic pleasures and a little bit of light-heartedness. How have you lived through this pandemic on a family level? What sort of ingredient has cooking been for you during this period of emergency?

MT: We lived through the pandemic as newcomers in Turin, so there was still an element of discovery. In a way, when we lived full-time for nearly 10 years in the French countryside in the Médoc, it was like living during lockdown. We lived in our large home, grew our own vegetables and didn’t see many people since we were in the country. I enjoyed the cocoon phase of the pandemic, creating a safe environment so we could reassure our children and each other. I loved cooking all sorts of recipes, travelling through the kitchen and making every meal exciting or fun. And it was only natural that I wanted to share all my recipes and comfort with my community via social media. I think everyone more or less relied on each other for comfort and reassurance.

You have published three magnificent cookery books with recipes and much more besides. Books in which you can breathe in the atmosphere of family life as well as intimate moments of day-to-day living. Please tell us about the editorial process that was involved in these books. Where did you find your inspiration? Have you got other editorial projects in store for the near future?

MT: My world changed when I started a food journal via a blog in 2012. I called it ‘Manger’ and it was all about my new life in the country, recipes and family life. As a result, my books were a direct consequence. Writing, cooking and sharing it all has always been a natural process, and that is what I continue to do every day. Luckily, I live and work with my uber-talented Icelandic husband who happens to be a photographer, art and creative director. It was meant to be! After my beloved book ‘Old World Italian’, I am now writing and cooking through a Chinese cook-book, celebrating my Chinese roots and family.

Last question. About Italy, the beautiful country we live in. What is it like living here? Italy is also about food and opera. Food is often the main protagonist in operas. I still remember when I sang in the boys’ choir of La Bohème. Our aria was, “Aranci ninnoli caldi marroni e caramelle e torroni!” The main female character had the same name as you, by the way. I know that you are an opera fan….which operas and which theatres do you prefer?

MT: Yes, I do love Opera and since we moved to Turin we have tried not to miss a single performance at our local Teatro Regio, it’s a great opportunity to dress up, go to the nearby, tiny and gorgeous Caffe Mulassano for an aperitivo and some tramezzini. If the show doesn’t run too long we try to have a romantic dinner afterwards. Italy has so many spectacular opera houses but it’s hard to rival the atmosphere and quality of La Scala, once we saw Don Carlo there, the five-hour version, with three or four intervals. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much prosciutto and sparkling wine in one evening. And talking about Don Carlo, we saw a shorter version at the La Fenice in Venice a few years ago, the stage was marvellous but we were in such a romantic mood that we snuck out halfway through the performance, retrieved our rainboots and waded through the half-submerged streets and had not one but two dinners, the second at Harry’s bar. After the show a lot of our fellow opera guests arrived in black tie and rubber boots, which is very glamorous by the way and I felt them all looking at me like they were thinking “wait, how did you get here so fast?” It was a wonderful evening but I still feel a little guilty about leaving so early.
As for favourites that’s really difficult, the list is too long, but it’s hard not to love La Traviata and Il Trovatore, everyone loves La Bohème, my husband adores Cavalleria Rusticana and I have a great fondness for “Mi par d’udir ancora” by Bizet and “Una furtiva lagrima” by Donizetti.