What does it really take to build a restaurant people choose as their favourite — not just the best they've ever been to? And what happens to a chef's world when the place he's poured 11 years into catches fire at 2am? Jun Tanaka is the Michelin-starred chef and owner of The Ninth on Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia, London — one of the city's most beloved neighbourhood restaurants and a 2026 Sunday Times Best Places to Work recipient. His story begins at 19 years old, when — with no kitchen experience and freshly asked to leave his hotel management course — he wrote to the three best restaurants in London on a whim. Le Gavroche wrote back. What followed was a career forged in some of the most demanding kitchens in the country: an apprenticeship under the Roux brothers at Le Gavroche, stints with Nico Ladenis at Chez Nico and Phil Howard at The Square, and time working under Marco Pierre White — a man Jun describes as running the SAS of the culinary world. In 2015, Jun opened The Ninth, earning a Michelin star in its opening year and keeping it ever since. Then, at 2am one morning, the fire brigade called. We cover: 🔥 Why Jun would choose to have had the fire in hindsight — and what 8 months of closure did for his team ⭐ Earning a Michelin star in the year of opening,🍽️ The difference between the best restaurant you've ever been to and your favourite — 👨🍳 Training under Marco Pierre White and why the hardest kitchen of his life was also the most important 🧠 Why culture doesn't just happen — and the intentional work behind The Ninth's 🤝 Hiring for personality over CV🌿 Seasonal cooking, classic flavour combinations, and what it means to create food people crave on a regular basis 🎧🔥❤️🔥LISTEN VIA LINK IN BIO & -❤️🔥🔥🎧 https://linktr.ee/pitchingpassion This episode is proudly sponsored by Audrey's Chocolates — use code thekollective10 for a discount on your order. 🔥 Fireside Chat with Jun Tanaka Five cheeses to eat before you die? Brie de Meaux, Coulommiers, Époisses, Saint-Marcellin, and Comté. Three London restaurants people should hit up right now? Camille in Borough Market — Parilla — Plonk — Three ingredients to bring to a desert island? Soy sauce. Lemon and anchovies. How do you cook at home when friends are coming over? I keep it extremely simple. I always do a barbecue —whole fish mostly One tip: leave the whole fish uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours before grilling to dry out the skin completely. It won't stick and you'll get properly crispy skin. Do you find cooking therapeutic? Honestly, no. I've been doing it for 35 years — it doesn't stress me, but it doesn't quite switch me off either. What do you notice walking into a restaurant that others might miss? The greeting - Seasoning and the bathroom. Always the bathroom. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review — it means everything to independent podcasts like ours. 🙏 ❤️🔥 Support Pitching Passion on Patreon Get early access to episodes, exclusive content, and help us keep the show going: patreon.com/TheKollective828 ☕ Want to make a one off donation to support the show 🙏 : https://buymeacoffee.com/pitchingpassion Mentions: @juntanaka, The Ninth (Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, London), Le Gavroche, The Roux Brothers, Chez Nico, Nico Ladenis, Phil Howard, The Square, Marco Pierre White, Cooking It (Channel 4, 2006), Saturday Kitchen, MasterChef: The Professionals, Simple to Sensational (cookbook), Filippo (Business Partner & Executive Chef, The Ninth), Erica (Head Chef, The Ninth), Jada (GM, The Ninth), Dale / Rosendale Design (interior designer), Andy (first head chef, The Ninth), Kevin Burke The Ninth), Ewan Golcher (former sous chef, The Ninth), Library Street (Dublin), Camille (Borough Market), Elliot (chef-owner, Camille), Parilla, Ben (chef, Parilla), Plonk, Seb (chef-owner, Plonk), Noma, Gambara (San Sebastian), Flying Fish (Cornwall), Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026, Irish Sunday Times
