Few people knew that Tina Turner, the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll, had a surprisingly adventurous palate — and a secret dream that had nothing to do with the stage. According to her longtime private chef, the late icon not only adored Vietnamese fish sauce (nước mắm) but once seriously considered opening an Asian-fusion restaurant in Switzerland, where she lived during her later years.
In a recent interview, chef Marcello Vannetti, who cooked for Turner and her husband Erwin Bach at their lakeside home near Zurich, revealed that the superstar’s kitchen was always filled with unexpected flavors. “Tina loved the depth of Southeast Asian food,” he shared. “She was fascinated by how something as simple as fish sauce could make a dish come alive. It became her secret ingredient — we used it in marinades, stir-fries, even salads.”
Turner’s love affair with Asian cuisine reportedly began during her 1980s world tours, when she frequently visited Thai and Vietnamese restaurants between shows. “She would taste something and immediately ask, ‘What’s in this? How do they get that flavor?’” Vannetti recalled. “When she discovered fish sauce, she said, ‘This — this is magic.’”
In the early 2000s, after settling in Switzerland, Turner began sketching out a concept for a boutique restaurant overlooking Lake Zurich. The vision: a cozy, candlelit space blending Japanese minimalism and Vietnamese warmth, with dishes inspired by her travels — spicy noodles, grilled sea bass with lime and herbs, and mango sticky rice for dessert. “She wanted it to feel like a little retreat — elegant but joyful,” her chef explained.
Although the project never materialized, Turner took the idea seriously. She even discussed potential names, including Soul Spice and Simply Tina’s Kitchen. But her health and touring schedule eventually took priority, and the plan remained a beautiful dream. “Still,” Vannetti said, “she would host private dinners that felt exactly like what that restaurant would’ve been — full of music, laughter, and the aroma of lemongrass.”
Friends say Turner’s fascination with Asian flavors mirrored her spiritual side. She had long practiced Buddhism, finding peace and discipline in its teachings — and, perhaps, its food culture too. “Cooking was part of her meditation,” her chef added. “When we made something with fish sauce, she’d smile and say, ‘This reminds me that the simplest things can be the most powerful.’”
It’s a side of Tina Turner the world rarely saw — not the electrifying performer under the spotlight, but a serene woman in her kitchen, tasting, experimenting, and dreaming. And somewhere, in that quiet Swiss home, the unmistakable aroma of Vietnamese fish sauce still lingers — a small, soulful tribute to a legend who found harmony in every flavor.