Anita Thoma is head chef and manager at il primo restaurant in Dublin

Is food a feminist issue?
"Everything is a feminist issue for me."

What role does food play in your life?
"Some people are into music, art or fashion, I'm into food. Although I cook for a living, it's more to me than work and of course it's what I do at home if I get a night off. Food can bring people together like a big hug. That said, I'm acutely aware that many people don't have enough to eat every day and that there is so much food waste in the society that I live."

Have you ever been on a diet?
"No, but I do try to be healthy the very odd time."

What food reminds you of childhood?
"Both my parents cooked at home, so I have too many great ones to recount. We grew a lot of vegetables, had chickens and had loads of fresh raspberries in the summer, which was a bit unusual in 1970s Clondalkin."

Favourite meal from childhood?
"Pork medallions/Parmesan crust and saffron risotto. My sister Karen would say hers is mince, mash and beans. Favourite meal now: roast chicken straight from the oven."

Fantasy dinner guests?
"I'm lucky I get to eat with the people I want to all the time, but if I could go back it would be my mother and father to tell them how much I miss them."

Signature dish?
"Risotto."

Why are the majority of chefs men?
"I think it's interesting that women are generally not represented in the positions of power in kitchens, but not surprising as the workplace can often just be a microcosm of society. Women often are the primary carers for children and other family members or at least are expected to be. As a women, who is the boss, one can often be described as tough or hard in a negative way I don't hear male chefs being described with such negativity. When I started my training as a chef my father told me (he too was a chef) that, as a woman, I would have to be better than the men I worked with. How right he was."