I was born in Northern Spain and spent most of my youth between Central America and Andalucia. My love of eating started while eating mango verde and chili in my garden. This love slowly evolved into a love of cooking that took me from a restaurant and cookbook-obsessed management consultant to Cordon Bleu in London where I received a Grand Diplome in Pastry and Cooking.
I ran El Alambique cooking school in Madrid, the test kitchen at the iconic Books for Cooks in London and worked for a specialty food importer in Chicago selling Spanish food products, advising chefs and doing demos and lectures. While living in China I was the Dining Editor for Focus on Dalian magazine.
My passion for food has given me amazing experiences; stages at Ferran Adria’s el bulli hotel, Claridge’s hotel, Blagden’s fishmongers (London), and visits to amazing Spanish artisan producers and food markets all over Asia. I have studied with some exceptional teachers in Hong Kong, Ireland, Spain and China and did a month-long stint learning Peruvian traditional cuisine in Lima. I am also a certified olive oil sommelier.
In Ireland I continue my work through events, lectures and cooking classes that emphasize culture, heritage and imagination. I currently teach at Instituto Cervantes and the Triggerfish Cookshop and collaborate with the Commercial Office of Spain in the promotion of Spanish food and wine producers and other private clients and institutions. Most recently I am co-hosting a food podcast called Spice Bags, about global food in an Irish context with food writers Dee Laffan and Mei Chin and studying a Masters in Gastronomy at TUD.
I have volunteered and worked for not-for-profit organizations Common Threads, Purple Asparagus, Chicago Cultural Center and the City of Madrid that promote cooking and healthy eating for children and adults. I taught the Cooking Skills & World Cuisines program for children in Chicago in both Hispanic and African American communities, developed a fruit and vegetable curriculum for teachers with Purple Asparagus and ran cookie making classes for thousands of children in Madrid.
