Chef Nicola Coccia inside Carne and Cucina
NICOLA COCCIAPlan an event

Private chef · Central Coast & beyond

Cooking with
fire & feeling.

Bespoke dining by chef and author Nicola Coccia. Created for private homes, weddings and gatherings worth remembering.

Create your experience ↗
Born in NaplesShaped in Australia

Food needs little intervention. Just love and a little heat.

Tailored to the occasion

01Private dining02Weddings03Private functions04Consulting

The philosophy

Less intervention.
More instinct.

Nicola cooks with the rhythm of the fire and the quality of what is in season. Italian memory, Australian produce and years in exacting kitchens come together in food that feels generous, expressive and alive.

Nicola Coccia cooking over his open fireplace
The signature

Fire is not a technique.
It is an ingredient.

Wood, smoke and ember bring movement to every menu. Nicola listens to the fire rather than forcing it. Heat, produce and instinct decide the final expression of each plate.

Bring the fire to your table →

Ways to work together

Your occasion,
never off the shelf.

01

Private dining

A restaurant calibre experience in your home, shaped around the season, your table and the people gathered around it.

Optional wine curation by Alessa Vino ↗Enquire ↗
02

Weddings

Generous feasts cooked over fire and refined shared menus designed to make the food a memorable part of your celebration.

Optional wine curation by Alessa Vino ↗Enquire ↗
03

Private functions

Birthdays, anniversaries, long lunches and milestone dinners. Each occasion is considered from first bite to final plate.

Optional wine curation by Alessa Vino ↗Enquire ↗
04

Consulting

Practical hospitality guidance spanning menu development, kitchen design, costing, compliance, teams and venue openings.

Enquire ↗
Portrait of chef Nicola Coccia

Nicola’s story

From Naples,
by way of the world.

Nicola grew up in a large Neapolitan family, where cooking began beside his grandmother Carolina and her wood stove. After training in Italy, his career moved through Europe, New Zealand and some of Australia’s most respected kitchens.

His Australian chapter includes Quay, Otto, Fratelli Paradiso, Ormeggio, QT Sydney and Biota. He later created the chef hatted Bistro Officina in Bowral and Osteria il Coccia on the Central Coast. Both became known for soulful hospitality and cooking built around flame.

Today, Nicola is the Executive Chef of Carne & Cucina and the owner of Spaccanapoli Pizza, continuing to bring the generosity and flavour of Naples to Australian tables.

2chef hatted restaurant ventures
2018Farm to Flame published
25+years shaped by hospitality

Chef · Restaurateur · Author

Farm to Flame

In his cookbook, Nicola shares the food and philosophy of a life spent cooking over fire. It moves from charred and smoked restaurant signatures to generous dishes made for family and friends.

“When you cook, you should always be thinking of someone.”Nicola Coccia
Tuna with delicate flowers and aromatic broth
A plated dessert finished at the table

A career built around the table: thoughtful produce, instinctive cooking and warm, personal hospitality.

From the kitchen

Swipe or scroll through dishes from Carne and Cucina and Osteria il Coccia.

Dessert served with Nicola's signature generosity
Nicola finishing a dessert by hand
A vibrant spread of Nicola's cooking
Burrata and zucchini flowers shared at the table
A colourful pasta dish ready to share
A bright seasonal carpaccio
Seafood with chilli, herbs and olive oil
Tiramisu served generously
Nicola Coccia's Farm to Flame cookbook
Blood orange sorbet recipe in Farm to Flame
A refined Bistro Officina dessert
Roasted figs with cream and walnuts
Clams with herbs, chilli and charred lemon
Tuna with delicate flowers and aromatic broth
Golden risotto finished with fresh green herbs
Nicola finishing a dramatic frozen dessert
Food cooking over Nicola's open fireplace

Press and recognition

Seen, read
and remembered.

Selected features, awards, festival appearances and chef collaborations from Nicola’s career.

Farm to FlameNicola’s cookbookView the book ↗
Vivid Fire Kitchen · 2026Read more ↗Good Food Guide recognition · 2017, 2018 and 2025Read more ↗Osteria il Coccia reviewRead more ↗Five minutes with Nicola CocciaRead more ↗Farm to Flame feature and recipesRead more ↗Osteria il Coccia reviewRead more ↗Four Hands with chef Lino SauroRead more ↗CENTRAL COAST LIFE & STYLEFoodies on FireRead more ↗NOT QUITE NIGELLALorraine Elliott reviews Carne and CucinaRead more ↗CARNE & CUCINANicola's current kitchenRead more ↗OSTERIA IL COCCIAThe acclaimed Ettalong restaurantRead more ↗BISTRO OFFICINAGood Food Guide recognitionRead more ↗CENTRAL COAST NEWSDinner party masterclass with NicolaRead more ↗DESTINATION NSWVivid Sydney food programme recognitionRead more ↗GOOGLE REVIEWSRecent guest reviews of Carne and CucinaRead more ↗

For a complete table

Wine, if you wish.

For weddings and private events, Alexandra Coccia can curate organic, small batch French and Italian wines through Alessa Vino. Each selection is matched to Nicola’s menu, your budget and the mood of the day.

Visit Alessa Vino ↗

Begin a conversation

Tell us what
you’re planning.

No two menus or gatherings should feel the same. Share a few details and Nicola will shape an experience around you.

Currently taking enquiries for 2026 and 2027

Your details are used only to respond to this enquiry.