An Interview With Martita Mestey
Motivation doesn’t always come to you, most of the time you must create and sustain it within you.
As a part of our series about creating a successful career in theatre, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Nina Manchev — Chef and Owner of Forte Tapas
Nina Manchev, Bulgarian-born and Las Vegas-raised, opened Forte Tapas almost 14 years ago with a dream of preserving old traditions and recipes and bringing her culture and cuisine to a new audience. She continues to do that with her restaurant Forte, as well as with all concepts she creates. Nina strives to bring the essence of European home cooking to guests by staying true to traditions, while respecting the modern times and vision of the future.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know’ you a bit. Can you share with our readers a story about what inspired you to become a restaurateur?
My passion for entertaining, expressing, and creating connecting experiences for people inspired me to become a restaurateur. Some of the best memories I have come from sharing a meal with others, and I love making people feel happy and loved!
Do you have a specific type of food that you focus on? What was it that first drew you to cooking that type of food? Can you share a story about that with us?
I focus on the food of my home country, Bulgaria and highlight other rich cuisines from neighboring countries. I spent a lot of time growing up watching my dad cook and seeing how much love he put into creating a fresh home cooked meal for us every night, no matter how busy life was. I feel truly fortunate and grateful for that. My parents worked a lot when I was young, so sometimes I would hand write a menu and do a restaurant set up in our living room and “cook” a meal so they would feel happy and entertained. Food has always been a love language.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? How did you overcome this obstacle?
I have always been a big picture person, so when I started my journey, I knew that ultimately, I would get to the place I imagined. But you can’t cheat the system of time and experience. I wish I had asked for help when I needed it instead of pretending like I knew everything. I am proud of how much conviction I had, but now know there were times where I should have practiced more humility. Life has a way of humbling you if you don’t learn the lessons. I am grateful to be able to keep learning and growing, as one of my biggest obstacles has been myself.
In your experience, what is the key to creating a dish that customers are crazy about?
Create from the heart, use the best ingredients. Don’t just go for the visual aspect. It’s all about flavor and that moment when you taste something that makes you close your eyes and surrender to comfort, or a memory and a feeling of pure joy and presence in the moment.
Personally, what is the ‘perfect meal for you’?
Simple and fresh, a warm night, lots of wine, laughter, and good company.
Where does your inspiration for creating come from? Is there something that you turn to for a daily creativity boost?
My inspiration comes from a deep urge and duty to make my ancestors and lineage proud, to grow and evolve enough to leave something behind that outlives my time here. I am proud of my roots and am honored to express the rich culture through my restaurant and other things I create. I think with Forte we have shined a positive light on Eastern European culture and cuisine.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? What impact do you think this will have?
My dream is to write a cookbook and do more cooking videos to reach a bigger audience, connect and hopefully inspire more people.
What advice would you give to other restaurateurs to thrive and avoid burnout?
Take a step back, be alone. Take care of your body, mind, and nervous system. The irony in life is that we justify taking time off when we get burnt out to the point where we are ill and have no other choice. Why not be proactive? Give yourself the grace to rest and think about where you need help, what you can do to organize your life better, and how those around you can be placed in roles to keep driving things forward, while you take the time. Also, get out of your normal environment frequently. I do something different every day and that helps me not be on the hamster wheel! I set boundaries in communication and availability. Easier said than done but at some point, everything becomes both a practice and skill set.
Thank you for all that. Now we are ready for the main question of the interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started as a Restaurateur” and why?
- Get the rest you need; burnout is a thing, and the work will never end.
- It’s ok to sound dumb, ask for help and support.
- It’s not over if you fail, just learn the lesson, get up, and try again.
- Motivation doesn’t always come to you, most of the time you must create and sustain it within you.
- Usually the only thing in your way is you, learn how to manage yourself.
These are the things people told me and I didn’t listen. It took time to understand what they meant for me, as it will take time to understand what they mean for you, be conscious and present.
What’s the one dish people have to try if they visit your establishment?
Adjarski Khachapurri, or how everyone calls it : The bread boat egg and cheese thing, haha!
Thank you so much for these insights. This was very inspirational!
Nina Manchev Of Forte Tapas: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Restaurateur was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.