Nickolas Rapson - Behind the Apron

Nick may look familiar to some of you, hopefully more recently from 2023’s MasterChef but if you cast your mind back you may recognise him as Zack the Mack from CBBC’s My Almost Famous Family or the PSA Smoking posters at bus stops from back in the day. Nick’s also been in a blues rock bank called Black Rose Bison as lead singer and songwriter.

So it is safe to say that he has pretty much done it all but it is a good job that he found his true calling when it comes to Latin cooking. Born in Caracas in Venezuela, his family moved to Surrey when he was only two years old and then to London when he was five.

His love of cooking came from his Mum who travelled around the world and loved discovering new foods, this is how he was exposed to different cuisines and became passionate about taking the reigns in the kitchen himself even from a young age. He even remembers eating coquilles saint jacques when he was only 6 years old.

His life took him down many paths including being a gig production coordinator for the Roundhouse which was fun but a lot of late nights and something had to give, which is when him and his family decided to move up North. When Covid hit, Nick found himself supporting his family working as a DPD Driver – his self confessed low point as he wasn’t doing something he loved and as lovely as the Northumberland countryside may be and its all good getting all those steps in, it wasn’t where he wanted to be.

The turning point though was when his friend John tragically passed away in a freak bike accident which was a huge loss and a great shock. At his funeral he met his older brother Darren who was the catalyst for him applying for MasterChef where he made a name for himself as a The Latin Chef.

Since his MasterChef days Nick has worked at two Michelin star Raby Hunt and is now a chef at The Coach House at the picturesque Middleton Lodge which holds a green Michelin star where they primarily use ingredients grown on site. He’s also the brand ambassador for Cheffie. Safe to say he’s keeping busy!  

Q&A

What was your earliest cooking/food memory?

My Mum was an extremely hard worker who had two jobs, she wasn’t a believer in hand outs so this came with late nights and I remember I made sure that I had dinner laid out for her when she came home, I remember cooking pollo casada which involved Venezuelan spices, a sofrito sauce, meat that falls off the bone, plantain, black beans and an ancestral corn bread which was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I grew up eating that almost everyday. She  was a harsh critic though so if something wasn’t right  I’d soon be told ‘What’s that Nicky, its rubbish!’  Which has only pushed me on to better!

What's your go to comfort/hangover food?

My Italian grandfather was from Napoli so I believe that I have that in my blood – so naturally, I love pasta and carbonara is my go to, with guanciale of course. It’s so quick and easy too.

Where do you draw inspiration from and are there any role models/mentors who inspire you?

If it hadn’t been for meeting John's brother then things may have turned out differently so he’s played a huge part in inspiring me in following my dreams. In particular though it was Dharam Ramlogan, a talented chef at the O2 who’d trained at Westminster who really took me under his wing. All it took was me telling him that I wanted to be a chef and he guided me so much, he taught me basics from the beginning and like my Mum he had hugely high standard and would tell you if it’s rubbish. To this day I still call him up for advice when I'm trying out new dishes.

Latin food is what inspired me to be The Latin Chef though. A lot of people don’t realise how different Latin cooking is and how much it can vary. Also the amount of cuisine around the world that wouldn’t be what they are today is mind blowing. Peppers and chillis for example all came from Latin America – imagine a curry without chillis!

Also as much as the Irish would like to argue with me, the potato came from South America too, so think about that next time you’re having your Sunday dinner. I think that food history is so important and understanding origins and culture, where has it come from and why are we eating it. I really want to make things authentic – like my taco for example – I choose not to use the crap wheat – I make it from corn masa, I’m not prepared to take shortcuts out of respect – let’s be honest no one wants to piss off the Mexicans!

What are your favourite ingredients to work with and which would you send to Room 101?

The base of any Latin dish is garlic and onion – it’s a necessity and chilli's are closely followed behind. I’m an easy going guy that eats most things so its difficult to pick out something I don’t like but I’ve never been massive on aubergines – if I had to choose something then that would be it. I think they're alright but I don't go 'ooh I love aubergine'.

What's your favourite kitchen hack/tip?

I think that everyone should learn the art of vac packing and sous vide. It changed my life - this cooking process should be more widely used and the beauty is, you can’t fail – meat comes out soft and moist and you can’t overcook it and it lasts twice as long - the end product is so much better too. It’s seen as professional cooking but you can buy the stuff you need for it on amazon now which makes it more accessible . Also I highly recommend investing in a ‘molcajete’ – a Latin pestle and mortar which doesn’t require a blender, you throw all your ingredients in there and you can make a great guac and salsa in no time.

Have you had any kitchen fails?

I had one of my big first jobs, a dinner for eighty people. One of the dishes was a cheese espuma and because I hadn’t practiced this dish it ended up looking like slime, it was horrible, it very much taught me the lesson of never leaving anything to the last minute. It’s a good job that Dharam saved the day

Any learns from your MasterChef days / working at Raby Hunt?

Yeah don't put anything on top of sauces because the food will be left sitting there for 45 minutes! You don't see this on the TV but if you're unlucky to go last which I was my food all went soggy, had I know this ahead of time I would have adapted my menu!

As for Raby Hunt - Work clean - everything has to be calculated and done properly, there’s a pot for waste and cuts so there’s no mess on the table, everything has to be done methodically which I’ve taken with me and apply this to other places.

If you could host a dinner party for any guest who would they be and what would you cook for them?

I would love to cook for John, he would be incredibly proud of how far I’ve come. I always talked about my vision for the future and to be able to show him what I’ve achieved would be incredible.  I would definitely cook him something fancy, I’d love to show off my techniques. Especially my signature dish that I cooked which got me to the knock out finals, Anna Hall loved it which was incredible, it was the beef fillet with corn velouté with beef chimichurri and mushroom tuile.

Where would you eat your death row meal and what dish would you have?

I would love to have my Mum’s Casuela de Marisco, it’s an incredible seafood stew with langoustines / monkfish / clams. I’ve always loved seafood and think of it as a superfood. I just always feels amazing after eating it, especially when cooked in loads of wine! Dessert wise I would love a Latin American desert called quesillo which is a crème caramel flan which always reminds me of my childhood, its made eggs, condensed milk, sugar and vanilla.

I also really want to try this place in Peru with a Michelin star called Central which has been rated as being in the top ten in the world. The menu looks incredible, they use the most indigenous ingredients which can only be found in certain places in Peru and Peruvian food in general is off the charts.

What is the thing you're most proud of?

The birth of my daughter, Phoenix of course. But also getting the apron on MasterChef because it has opened so many doors like working at 2 Michelin Star Raby Hunt, I didn’t used to have the confidence and that reassured me that I can do it.

Where are your top go-to places when it comes to eating out and are there any you avoid?

I’m based in Newton Aycliffe near Darlington in the northeast and there’s limited options compared to London. However there’s a go to pizza place called Two J’s Pizza which makes proper woodfired pizza. They’ve learnt how to do it the right way and are passionate about the right dough which is really important.

There’s also Bario Comida, this is some of the best food I’ve  had in the northeast ever. They have a proper corn processing machine and make a proper masa for their tacos so you can really taste the difference. Plus their sauces were amazing and it came to only £80 for pretty much the whole menu.

I would say that I tend to avoid kebabs in the northeast, I’ve never had a good one, they’re 90% bread and rubbish quality. London however, there’s loads of good ones.

What's in store next?

So I have a lot of big things coming up with Cheffie as their brand ambassador. There’s quite a few events in the south of France, will be working down in Monaco which is really exciting. There’s also the Pavilion Club where I’m hosting a series of Supper Club's in June. Adam Ball and I are planning a Supper Club in Bristol too, he’s one o the only people that I still keep in touch with from MasterChef and we’re both striving to be top chefs so have very similar goals.

I’m also continuing on as Chef de Partie at The Coach House at the 5 star Middleton Lodge estate where I’m learning more than I’ve ever learnt. The Head chef Ross Forder has 25 years experience  so is a great mentor and role model and he gives creative freedom too. Last Saturday we had a 200 covers night so it keeps me busy and certainly makes me learn the trade quicker. I’m also going to be at The Great British Food Festival at Harewood House on the 25th May! So please come see me then!

Any advice for your younger self?

Follow your intuition more, just try to do more things that you’re passionate about earlier – I should have really stuck with cooking and seen it through. Instead I was trying to do acting /music which wasn’t really my calling. Let’s be honest, London has a lot of distractions! But at least I got there in the end! If it's your passion chase it!

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