Farm to Flame: Cooking without rules in the Bistro Officina Kitchen - Nicola Coccia

Our book Farm to Flame explores Italian peasant food - modernised and cooked over fire by celebrated chef Nicola Coccia.  Join him on a journey from Italy to Australia, taking inspiration from nature and cooking without rules.

As a child in Italy, Nicola Coccia was surrounded by food.  In a family of farmers, cheese makers, fishermen, and cooks, good food was not just nourishment, it was a structure by which to live and a way to understand and respect the cycles of nature and the importance of family.

An affinity with food became a career, taking Nicola into the kitchens of some of Europe’s top restaurants, where he spent ten years sharpening his skills as a fine dining chef.  In 2010, Nicola moved to Australia and spent five years cooking at Sydney institutions Otto, Ormeggio, and Quay.