Chef Nelson Arias

Private Chef In Nicoya

I am a chef who is passionate about the experience of gastronomy. I have 13 years of experience. It all started in a small pizzeria. From there was born a passion to know more, which made me study and work with important companies and be involved in TV shows.

Throughout my career and discovered what I'm passionate about, being able to provide an experience to someone And surprise him with a spoonful face.

My cooking style is very versatile, It based me on the classics and I try to give it a twist with my perception.

For me, the combination of flavors and colors is very important.

Taking into account a couple more details we can spend a fabulous night.

But hey, let's find it out!

See in the kitchen!

For me, cooking is...

It's a perception of the world.

I learned to cook at...

It all started at home watching my mom cook delicious food and bake cakes. At the age of 18 started studying Gastronomy and worked in Recognized rest.

A cooking secret...

Enjoy all the time! The happiness of making people happy with food.

My menus

Flavors and colors

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Tropical Salad: palmheart, red onions, apple and tomato with passion fruit dressing

Costa Rican Salad: lettuce, red onion, sweet plantain croutons, caramelized peanuts, cherry tomatoes with cilantro garlic emultion

Tico Cucumber Roll: salsa, sweet plantain, cucumber, costa rican withe chesse, avocado, ground pork skin with roasted peppers sauce

Avocado mess: Guac, pico de gallo, corns chips, roasted peanuts, cilantro and withe chesse

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Red Snapper: Whole or fillet fish, avocado rice, corn relish, carrots and white onion caramelized in orange juice

Sabanero Beef Stake: Costarican beef Shrimps & veggies skewer, yuca red mash, creole roasted tomatoes sauce

Achiotado Mahi Mahi: Costarican flavored achiotado mahi over green beans, garlic, tomatoes, lime, suggar cane sautted, costarican seasoning grilled sweet potato

Caribean Rice: Grilled pineapple, sautted rice with Costarican flavors, crunchy chiken or shrimps and cilantro served in a pineapple

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Fried Milk: Breaded curdled milk over a mirror of creamy vanilla and milk sauce with apple compote on the top

Sweet Plantain Dreams: Sweet plantain sphere filled with strawberry, crunchy prestiño with vainilla caramel sauce

Seasonal Fruit Salad: Costarican Seasonal fruit trilogy, blackberry sauce, coconut cookie crumble, ice crem lollipop

Seafood of Costa Rica

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Welcome Cocktail or Mocktail

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Shrimps mango ceviche with a touch of garlic, ginger, fresh cilantro and home made patacones on the side

Caribbean style ceviche: coconut breaded shrimps in a coconut, lime, ginger, garlic, ceviche sauce with a spicy touch

Costarican Style ceviche: lemon marinated fish fresh onions, celery, red bell peppers and ciloantro with crispy homemade patacones on the side

Vuelve a la vida: mixture of seaffod in fresh tomato sauce really good seasoned just to make you come back to life and live the pura vida

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Zuchinny stuffed with seafood in a creamy wine sauce with a cheesse chicharon on the top over a potato morterito

Achiotado Mahi Mahi: Costarican flavored achiotado mahi over green beans, garlic, tomatoes, lime, suggar cane sautted, costarican seasoning grilled sweet potato

Costarican mariscada: seafood mixture al ajillo with rice on the side

Fresh tuna avocado sauce with pineapple, grilled tomato and red onion salad with

Pescado Frito: Whole red snapper grilled or baked shrimps sauce, potatoes and mango cabagge salad on the side

Quetzal: baked Rainbow Trout roll stuffed with typical vegetables wrapped in banana leaf with cilantro, avocado, sauce and potato chips

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Coconut kiss: Coconut terrine, coconut cookies crumble, blackberry sauce and passionfruit jelly

Honey sweet plantains wipped coffee cream on the top and strawberrys

Fried Milk: Breaded curdled milk over a mirror of creamy vanilla and milk sauce with apple compote on the top

Traditional Costarican food

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Costarican creole tomato soup with cheesse brousquette

Costarican Empanadas: Set of three small costarican empanadas chicken, beef and cheesse with cabagge salad and fresh tomato salsa

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Casado: Traditional costarican rice, beans, picadillo, sweet plantain, traditional salad with roasted chicken, breaded fish, porkchop or mixed fajitas.(please choose one protein option)

Gallitos Costarricenses: set of three galltos shrimps, achiotado chicken, bisteck encebollad

Chifrijo: costarican dish made it with rice, frijoles verdes, pico de gallo, avocado, corn chips, and pork chicharrones

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Honey sweet plantains wipped coffee cream on the top and strawberrys

Deligth bites

STARTER

All inclusive

Welcome Mocktail or Cocktail

Mixed Chips with roasted peppers dip

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Octopus ceviche, fresh and nice mix of grilled palm hearth, avocado, tomato pure, lime, red onion, cilantro and a spicy touch

Grapes and Balsamic octopus with really good seasoned baby potatoes

Costarican tiradito: thin slices of fresh fish marinated with a garlic lime sauce, sweet corn red onion and avocado

Mejillones New Zeland with lime garlic sauce

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Coconut breaded season fish, menier sauce or sacmpy sauce, mixed green salad with passion fruit dressing, fries and home made mayo recipe

Open menu

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Honey sweet plantains wipped coffee cream on the top and strawberrys

Customizable menu

Flavors and colors

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Tropical Salad: palmheart, red onions, apple and tomato with passion fruit dressing

Costa Rican Salad: lettuce, red onion, sweet plantain croutons, caramelized peanuts, cherry tomatoes with cilantro garlic emultion

Tico Cucumber Roll: salsa, sweet plantain, cucumber, costa rican withe chesse, avocado, ground pork skin with roasted peppers sauce

Avocado mess: Guac, pico de gallo, corns chips, roasted peanuts, cilantro and withe chesse

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Red Snapper: Whole or fillet fish, avocado rice, corn relish, carrots and white onion caramelized in orange juice

Sabanero Beef Stake: Costarican beef Shrimps & veggies skewer, yuca red mash, creole roasted tomatoes sauce

Achiotado Mahi Mahi: Costarican flavored achiotado mahi over green beans, garlic, tomatoes, lime, suggar cane sautted, costarican seasoning grilled sweet potato

Caribean Rice: Grilled pineapple, sautted rice with Costarican flavors, crunchy chiken or shrimps and cilantro served in a pineapple

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Fried Milk: Breaded curdled milk over a mirror of creamy vanilla and milk sauce with apple compote on the top

Sweet Plantain Dreams: Sweet plantain sphere filled with strawberry, crunchy prestiño with vainilla caramel sauce

Seasonal Fruit Salad: Costarican Seasonal fruit trilogy, blackberry sauce, coconut cookie crumble, ice crem lollipop

Seafood of Costa Rica

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Welcome Cocktail or Mocktail

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Shrimps mango ceviche with a touch of garlic, ginger, fresh cilantro and home made patacones on the side

Caribbean style ceviche: coconut breaded shrimps in a coconut, lime, ginger, garlic, ceviche sauce with a spicy touch

Costarican Style ceviche: lemon marinated fish fresh onions, celery, red bell peppers and ciloantro with crispy homemade patacones on the side

Vuelve a la vida: mixture of seaffod in fresh tomato sauce really good seasoned just to make you come back to life and live the pura vida

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Zuchinny stuffed with seafood in a creamy wine sauce with a cheesse chicharon on the top over a potato morterito

Achiotado Mahi Mahi: Costarican flavored achiotado mahi over green beans, garlic, tomatoes, lime, suggar cane sautted, costarican seasoning grilled sweet potato

Costarican mariscada: seafood mixture al ajillo with rice on the side

Fresh tuna avocado sauce with pineapple, grilled tomato and red onion salad with

Pescado Frito: Whole red snapper grilled or baked shrimps sauce, potatoes and mango cabagge salad on the side

Quetzal: baked Rainbow Trout roll stuffed with typical vegetables wrapped in banana leaf with cilantro, avocado, sauce and potato chips

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Coconut kiss: Coconut terrine, coconut cookies crumble, blackberry sauce and passionfruit jelly

Honey sweet plantains wipped coffee cream on the top and strawberrys

Fried Milk: Breaded curdled milk over a mirror of creamy vanilla and milk sauce with apple compote on the top

Traditional Costarican food

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Costarican creole tomato soup with cheesse brousquette

Costarican Empanadas: Set of three small costarican empanadas chicken, beef and cheesse with cabagge salad and fresh tomato salsa

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Casado: Traditional costarican rice, beans, picadillo, sweet plantain, traditional salad with roasted chicken, breaded fish, porkchop or mixed fajitas.(please choose one protein option)

Gallitos Costarricenses: set of three galltos shrimps, achiotado chicken, bisteck encebollad

Chifrijo: costarican dish made it with rice, frijoles verdes, pico de gallo, avocado, corn chips, and pork chicharrones

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Honey sweet plantains wipped coffee cream on the top and strawberrys

Deligth bites

STARTER

All inclusive

Welcome Mocktail or Cocktail

Mixed Chips with roasted peppers dip

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Octopus ceviche, fresh and nice mix of grilled palm hearth, avocado, tomato pure, lime, red onion, cilantro and a spicy touch

Grapes and Balsamic octopus with really good seasoned baby potatoes

Costarican tiradito: thin slices of fresh fish marinated with a garlic lime sauce, sweet corn red onion and avocado

Mejillones New Zeland with lime garlic sauce

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Coconut breaded season fish, menier sauce or sacmpy sauce, mixed green salad with passion fruit dressing, fries and home made mayo recipe

Open menu

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Honey sweet plantains wipped coffee cream on the top and strawberrys

Customizable menu

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Chef Nelson's reviews

4.89

•

107 services

Chef Nelson is not only one of the sweetest and most kind people you’ll meet here in Costa Rica, he’s ALSO an amazing chef. What a wonderful and joyful experience we had all together. Thank you.

This was an incredible experience. Nelson came to our Airbnb and provided much more than just food, he brought a fun and interactive experience! He was really great with our little kids and involved them in different parts of the preparation, cooking, and presentation. Everything was DELICIOUS!

We would highlky recommend Nelson as your Private Chef. He was friendly, personable... and his food was exeptional!!

Where to begin! What a hidden gem. The Chef and his wife made valentines day so special. From the thoughtful mocktails since we dont drink to the authentic meal he made. It was such a perfect night. If you can reserve him do it. He uses local ingredients and knows what they mean as he is from the area. Perfecto!

Chef Nelson and Eli were absolutely wonderful. They prepared fresh local dishes that were absolutely delicious. I would not hesitate to book them again.

Chef Nelson was amazing. Each course was exquisite! My favorite was the fried milk dessert. I have never tasted anything like it! They were also impeccable in clean up and follow through. I highly recommend him for any meal. We will definitely call him again next year when we return to Porto Rica.

Chef Nelson was top notch start to finish. We will definitely use him next time we are in CR.

Chef Nelson and his wife Ellie prepared a delicious meal for my husband’s birthday. We enjoyed every course! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this as a very special experience.

We had Chef Nelson prepare our dinner last night it was outstanding! We thoroughly enjoyed every dish. Our appetizer was so delicious and presentation was beautiful than our main course was just as beautiful and so tasty. Then our final course dessert was such a tasty treat and again presented beautifully. The meal portions were perfect size and we were so full by the end. He made us all authentic Costa Rica dishes and we would have no problem doing this again our our next visit. We highly recommend this experience to anyone. Thank you Chef Nelson and your wonderful assistant you made our evening so special

Chef Nelson created a creative and delicious meal for us. We loved what he did and would certainly invite him to cook for us again when we return.

Nelson and Ellie were so amazing. I didn’t give him a menu. I told him to get creative and he did just that! It was so relaxing on my last night in Costa Rica to sit back and let them cook. Every course was well thought out and delicious. I can’t describe with words the flavor. He also drove from Uvita to San Jose for us. I can’t thank him and Ellie enough for the meal and his stories. It was a wonderful experience.

Loved this experience. Chef and his wife are very kind and the food was excellent. Easy to communicate beforehand as well and personalize the menu a bit if you wanted to. Definitely recommend.

Nelson was very kind, attentive, and open to suggestions. We particularly loved all of his salads made with fresh Costa Rican produce. We had a couple of picky kids in our group so he always made some plain pasta on the side.

Created very delicious breakfast

Nelson was so kind! His food is amazing and you can clearly see that he knows what he is doing! I look forward to havkng him cook for us again when we return to Osa!

Our private chef experience with Chef Nelson and Chef Christina was absolutely phenomenal! While the original menu offered two great options, we were hoping for something a bit more personalized. The chefs graciously created a custom 3-course menu, which I highly recommend future guests consider requesting. We began with the most incredible French toast infused with coconut and topped with tropical fruits—everyone agreed it was the best we’ve ever had! The second course featured a flavorful chorreada paired with traditional Costa Rican sausages, and dessert was a delightful banana dish with strawberries and whipped cream. Every dish was prepared with care, the flavors were vibrant, and the presentation was stunning. Chef Nelson and Chef Christina’s hospitality made the evening feel relaxed yet luxurious. If you’re looking to elevate your vacation with an unforgettable dining experience, don’t hesitate to book with them—they will exceed your expectations!

I would 100% recommend him not only was he soooo friendly and went above and beyond to make sure we didn't lift a finger and just sat by and enjoyed ourselves, but omg the food was sooo good with sooo much flavor and we had to have him cook us a special meal cause of food restrictions. There was 7 of us adults for a birthday dinner he came and made our experiences sooo worth it and can't wait to use him again and will be recommending him to anyone who come to Costa Rica and want the full experience ..!!

The food was amazing! I enjoyed every bite, very fresh and delicious!

Chef Nelson was wonderful! There was great communication before and during the dinner. Everything prepared tasted amazing and was presented beautifully. It was a great experience for our stay in Costa Rica

Chef Nelson is not only one of the sweetest and most kind people you’ll meet here in Costa Rica, he’s ALSO an amazing chef. What a wonderful and joyful experience we had all together. Thank you.

We would highlky recommend Nelson as your Private Chef. He was friendly, personable... and his food was exeptional!!

Chef Nelson and Eli were absolutely wonderful. They prepared fresh local dishes that were absolutely delicious. I would not hesitate to book them again.