Donna Blackmond: ‘I often get my best ideas in the middle of the night’

I exercise a lot. I live in California near the beach, so you have to stay in shape because everybody does. I do a lot of walking, though I don’t go swimming much. The water is a bit cold on the Pacific Coast, it’s probably warmer in Cornwall than in Southern California. I have a group of friends that meets at the bottom of my street every Sunday night to watch the sunset together.

I love fine dining and fine wine. I really like French cuisine. I have a grant with the Simons Foundation, which takes me to New York three times a year. Several of us are working our way down the list of the best restaurants there – Daniel, Bouley, Blue Hill Farm. But the ones I like the best are not necessarily the ones that are the most raved about.