Spanish at Home

Emma Warren studied horticultural science before transferring her love of the veggie patch to the kitchen. She moved to Spain in 2001 and immersed herself in the world of Spanish cuisine. Splitting her time between Mallorca and Barcelona, she learned her first chef’s skills at the popular café ‘Kasparo’, which focused on market-driven, seasonal local produce. Emma soon became head chef and ran the café for three years before returning home to Melbourne, Australia, to set up the kitchen ‘Hogar Español’ at the iconic Spanish Club – a cult institution and live-music venue, where Spanish expats and local community came together. Emma soon returned to Barcelona, where she ended up at Hotel Rey Don Jaime in the coastal town of Castelldefels, which became a major training ground for learning traditional Spanish cooking. Back in Melbourne, Emma began working for some of Australia’s most-respected chefs and helped Phillipa Sibley set up the Albert Street Food and Wine Store. Today, she works closely with some of Australia’s most famous chefs at photoshoots, food festivals and live demonstrations, and recently returned to the Balearic Islands to help Karen Martini set up her isolated Ibizan beach restaurant, ‘Cala Bonita’. Emma is the author of The Catalan Kitchen and Islas. This is her third cookbook.