Chef Nicole Hooks

Chef At Home In Barcelona

I am a professional chef with 5 years experience in catering, private events and teaching cooking courses. I studied at Hofmann Culinary school in Barcelona and after my one year course ended, I started catering small parties and hosting pop up dinners from my living room along with collaborations with local bars and restaurants in Barcelona, offering American soul food and Creole dishes. Growing up in California and Georgia has led to my appreciation and love for soul food and easy Californian cuisine. I love cooking for people and seeing the smile on their faces as they eat my food.

For me, cooking is...

joy, comfort, fun and passion. I feel free when I'm cooking and in the kitchen.

I learned to cook at...

the Michelin accredited Hofmann Culinary school located in Barcelona. I studied general culinary arts for one year and took a 3 month rice course.

A cooking secret...

is to cook with love and being detailed oriented. I make sure all dishes meet my very high standards and taste delicious.

My menus

Tapas with a twist

STARTER

Choose 3 dishes

Olives

Boquerones con vinagreta de naranja/ Small white fish marinated in an orange vineagrette

Cecina / Spanish Cured beef

Tabla de quesos catalanes (tres tipos diferente de quesos) / Catalan cheese board (3 different cheeses)

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Verduras Salteadas de Temporada con salsa romesco / Seasonal Sauteed Vegetables with romesco salse

Anchoas marinadas con jengibre y lima servidas con gelatina de tomate / Anchovy marinated with ginger and lime served with a tomato jelly

Black rice with short pork ribs and sepia

Gallina de Cornualles con miel, salsa de soja y sésamo / Cornish hen with honey, soy sauce and sesame

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Carrillera de ternera glaseada con salsa de chocolate y chips / Glazed veal cheek with chocolate sauce and chips

Albondigas de carne con sepia en guiso / Meatballs with stewed sepia

Tataki de atún con tabulé de bulgur / Tuna tataki with bulgur tabbouleh

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Chocolate coconut almond tart with salted caramel sauce

Mil hojas crujientes servidas con crema pastelera y fruta de temporada / 1000 Crispy leaves served with pastry cream and seasonal fruit

Crema Catalana

Traditional Tapas

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Pinchos Morunos con pollo / Chicken Moorish skewers

Anchoas marinadas con jengibre y lima servidas con gelatina de tomate / Anchovy marinated with ginger and lime served with a tomato jelly

Coca de trampo con sobrasada y mahon / Handmade bread with Sobrasada y mahon

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Albondigas de carne con sepia en guiso / Meatballs with stewed sepia

Verduras asado con salsa romesco / Roasted vegetables with romesco sauce

Gambas al pil pil / Prawns cooked in a pil pil sauce

Esqueixada de bacallà / Shredded bacalao salad with olives, tomatoes and onions

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Crema Catalana

Tarta de Santiago / Santiago tarte (almond cake)

Mil hojas crujientes servidas con crema pastelera y fruta de temporada / 1000 Crispy leaves served with pastry cream and seasonal fruit

Tapas Envy

STARTER

Choose 3 dishes

Tabla de quesos catalanes (tres tipos diferente de quesos) / Catalan cheese board (3 different cheeses)

Jamón ibérico de belotta / Spanish Iberian acorn ham

Olivas / Olives

Anchovy marinated with ginger and lime served with a tomato jelly

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Gallina de Cornualles con miel, salsa de soja y sésamo / Cornish hen with honey, soy sauce and sesame

Verduras asado con salsa romesco / Roasted vegetables with romesco sauce

Crema de cebolla con pan, huevo y jamón / Creamy onion soup with bread, egg and jamon

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Filete de cerdo con mantequilla de hierbas/ Pork fillet with herb butter

Pechuga de pato asada a la plancha con chutney y salsa de naranja / Pan roasted duck breast with chutney and orange sauce

Salmón a la plancha con ensalada tibia de papas, cebollas rojas, espárragos y beurre blanc de cítricos / Pan seared Salmon with warm potato salad, red onions, asparagus and a citrus buerre blanc

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Mil hojas crujientes servidas con crema pastelera y fruta de temporada / 1000 Crispy leaves served with pastry cream and seasonal fruit

Tarta de chocolate, coco y almendras / Chocolate coconut almond tart

Tarta de limon / Lemon meringue pie

Local Flavors

STARTER

Choose 2 dishes

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Gazpacho

Sopa de Ajoblanco

Panaché de hortalizas con salsa verde / Mixed vegetables served with Salsa verde

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Mar y Montaña de pollo de grano en dos cocciones / Surf and Turf grain-fed chicken in two cooking methods

Bacalao confitado a baja temperatura con samfaina en dos texturas / Confit cod with samfaina in two textures

Ragout de galtas de cerdo al vino tinto/ Pork cheek ragu with a red wine sauce

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Crema Catalana

Tarta de Santiago / Santiago tarte (almond cake)

Tarta de chocolate, coco y almendras / Chocolate coconut almond tart

Sol y Mar

STARTER

Choose 2 dishes

Anchovy marinated with ginger and lime served with a tomato jelly

Boquerones con vinagreta de naranja/ Small white fish marinated in an orange vineagrette

Niçoise salad

Calamares con butifarra negra de perol y salsa de praline / Stuffed squid with butifarra black sausage and praline sauce

FIRST COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Risotto verde con gambas de Palamós / Green risotto with Palamos prawns

Vieira a la plancha con puré de coliflor / Pan seared scallop with cauliflower puree

Gamba al ajillo con papada de cerdo / Garlic shrimp and roasted pork belly

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Salmón a la plancha con ensalada tibia de papas, cebollas rojas, espárragos y beurre blanc de cítricos / Pan seared Salmon with warm potato salad, red onions, asparagus and a citrus buerre blanc

Rape envuelto en prosciutto servido sobre un lecho de patatas nuevas confitadas con salsa de estragón / Prosciutto-Wrapped Monkfish served on a bed of confit new potatoes with a tarragon sauce

Solomillo Asado con su jugo de vino al jerez y patatas / Roast sirloin steak with sherry wine reduction and potatoes

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Tarta de chocolate, coco y almendras / Chocolate coconut almond tart

Tabla de quesos con fruta de temporada / Cheese board with seasonal fruit

Trufa de chocolate con aceite de oliva y Sal de mar/Chocolate truffles with olive oil and sea salt

Cajun Kitchen

STARTER

All inclusive

Blue cheese and pear canopy

Cajun Salmon bilini

FIRST COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Cajun Caesar salad with cornbread croutons and parmesan shavings

Fried Green Tomatoes (seasonal)

Bbq shrimp

Vieira a la plancha con puré de coliflor / Pan seared scallop with cauliflower puree

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Shrimp and 'Grits' (made with polenta) with sauteed bacon and peppers

Cajun spiced pan seared Salmon with warm potato salad, red onions, asparagus and a citrus buerre blanc

Pork chop served with apple chutney and creamy garlic mashed potatos

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Sticky Toffee pudding served with vanilla ice-cream

Pecan pie

Lemon meringue pie

American Southern Classics

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Fried Green Tomatoes

Burratta salad with tomatoes, rocket, pickled okra, red onion with a mustard vinaigrette

Corn and potato chowder with prawns

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Cajun roasted chicken on a bed of seasonal braised greens

Whisky and Coke slow braised beef cheeks served with garlic potato puree

Caribbean roast pork with jus and seasonal vegetables

Chicken and Chorizo gumbo with garlic rice

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Peach cobbler served with salted caramel sauce (seasonal)

Banana Fosters serves with vanilla ice-cream and flambéed with rum

Lemon meringue pie

Paella Experience

STARTER

Choose 2 dishes

Olives

Boquerones con vinagreta de naranja/ Small white fish marinated in an orange vineagrette

Cecina / Spanish Cured beef

Pan con tomate / Bread with tomato

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Ensalada verde mixta de temporada con semillas de calabaza, brotes, rábanos y zanahorias/ Seasonal mixed green salad with pumpkin seeds, sprouts, radishes, carrots

Gazpacho

Sopa de Ajoblanco / White garlic soup

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Paella de Marisco / Seafood Paella

Paella de Valencia / Valencian Paella (Chicken and Pork)

Paella Mixta (marisco y carne) / Mixed Paella (surf and turf)

Arroz negro con constillas de cerdo y sepia / Black rice with short pork ribs and sepia

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Trufa de chocolate con aceite de oliva y Sal de mar/Chocolate truffles with olive oil and sea salt

Profiteroles

Mil hojas crujientes servidas con crema pastelera y fruta de temporada / 1000 Crispy leaves served with pastry cream and seasonal fruit

Tapas with a twist

STARTER

Choose 3 dishes

Olives

Boquerones con vinagreta de naranja/ Small white fish marinated in an orange vineagrette

Cecina / Spanish Cured beef

Tabla de quesos catalanes (tres tipos diferente de quesos) / Catalan cheese board (3 different cheeses)

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Verduras Salteadas de Temporada con salsa romesco / Seasonal Sauteed Vegetables with romesco salse

Anchoas marinadas con jengibre y lima servidas con gelatina de tomate / Anchovy marinated with ginger and lime served with a tomato jelly

Black rice with short pork ribs and sepia

Gallina de Cornualles con miel, salsa de soja y sésamo / Cornish hen with honey, soy sauce and sesame

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Carrillera de ternera glaseada con salsa de chocolate y chips / Glazed veal cheek with chocolate sauce and chips

Albondigas de carne con sepia en guiso / Meatballs with stewed sepia

Tataki de atún con tabulé de bulgur / Tuna tataki with bulgur tabbouleh

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Chocolate coconut almond tart with salted caramel sauce

Mil hojas crujientes servidas con crema pastelera y fruta de temporada / 1000 Crispy leaves served with pastry cream and seasonal fruit

Crema Catalana

Traditional Tapas

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Pinchos Morunos con pollo / Chicken Moorish skewers

Anchoas marinadas con jengibre y lima servidas con gelatina de tomate / Anchovy marinated with ginger and lime served with a tomato jelly

Coca de trampo con sobrasada y mahon / Handmade bread with Sobrasada y mahon

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Albondigas de carne con sepia en guiso / Meatballs with stewed sepia

Verduras asado con salsa romesco / Roasted vegetables with romesco sauce

Gambas al pil pil / Prawns cooked in a pil pil sauce

Esqueixada de bacallà / Shredded bacalao salad with olives, tomatoes and onions

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Crema Catalana

Tarta de Santiago / Santiago tarte (almond cake)

Mil hojas crujientes servidas con crema pastelera y fruta de temporada / 1000 Crispy leaves served with pastry cream and seasonal fruit

Tapas Envy

STARTER

Choose 3 dishes

Tabla de quesos catalanes (tres tipos diferente de quesos) / Catalan cheese board (3 different cheeses)

Jamón ibérico de belotta / Spanish Iberian acorn ham

Olivas / Olives

Anchovy marinated with ginger and lime served with a tomato jelly

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Gallina de Cornualles con miel, salsa de soja y sésamo / Cornish hen with honey, soy sauce and sesame

Verduras asado con salsa romesco / Roasted vegetables with romesco sauce

Crema de cebolla con pan, huevo y jamón / Creamy onion soup with bread, egg and jamon

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Filete de cerdo con mantequilla de hierbas/ Pork fillet with herb butter

Pechuga de pato asada a la plancha con chutney y salsa de naranja / Pan roasted duck breast with chutney and orange sauce

Salmón a la plancha con ensalada tibia de papas, cebollas rojas, espárragos y beurre blanc de cítricos / Pan seared Salmon with warm potato salad, red onions, asparagus and a citrus buerre blanc

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Mil hojas crujientes servidas con crema pastelera y fruta de temporada / 1000 Crispy leaves served with pastry cream and seasonal fruit

Tarta de chocolate, coco y almendras / Chocolate coconut almond tart

Tarta de limon / Lemon meringue pie

Local Flavors

STARTER

Choose 2 dishes

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Gazpacho

Sopa de Ajoblanco

Panaché de hortalizas con salsa verde / Mixed vegetables served with Salsa verde

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Mar y Montaña de pollo de grano en dos cocciones / Surf and Turf grain-fed chicken in two cooking methods

Bacalao confitado a baja temperatura con samfaina en dos texturas / Confit cod with samfaina in two textures

Ragout de galtas de cerdo al vino tinto/ Pork cheek ragu with a red wine sauce

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Crema Catalana

Tarta de Santiago / Santiago tarte (almond cake)

Tarta de chocolate, coco y almendras / Chocolate coconut almond tart

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Chef Nicole's reviews

•

15 services

Amazing experience and food! Would do again.

Perfect experience, Chef Nicole cooked for my family of 8 including toddler. She customized the menu to exactly what we wanted, the timing was ideal so we could entertain the toddler while we drank and had appetizers, were able to all eat together (everything was delicious, the watermelon gazpacho and paella were both big hits), then put down the toddler for bedtime before finishing with an amazing chocolate desert. It was a perfect birthday dinner at the AirBnB!

A must do experience. Nicole delivered on every level. Delicious food with a personal touch. Looked after everyone’s needs. Left work area spotless.

Chef was personable and explained the dishes. We also learned about the history of Barcelona and Spain. This was a birthday dinner that me and my family will never forget. Thanks Chef!!

Amazing experience and food! Would do again.

A must do experience. Nicole delivered on every level. Delicious food with a personal touch. Looked after everyone’s needs. Left work area spotless.

Chef was personable and explained the dishes. We also learned about the history of Barcelona and Spain. This was a birthday dinner that me and my family will never forget. Thanks Chef!!

Amazing experience and food! Would do again.