Instructor

Nicco grew up in Boston, where he got his start cooking at the restaurants inside historic Fenway Park. He was introduced to Middle Eastern cuisine by Chef Ana Sortun at Oleana Restaurant and Sofra. After three years at Sortun's restaurants, Nicco joined The Montagu Kitchen in London's Grand Hyatt Hotel. Next was a stint at Danny Meyer's historic Union Square Cafe in New York, before he returned to Boston to join Chef Steven Postal's team at the newly opened Commonwealth, where he spent five years working his way from Sous Chef to Chef de Cuisine. Nicco represented Commonwealth at the historic James Beard House in New York City on four occasions. Nicco joined Mamnoon in Seattle as Chef de Cuisine in 2019 and in 2022 took over the role of Mama Group culinary director, overseeing the culinary teams at mamnoon, mbar, mamnoon street, hanoon, and mamnoon fine foods. In 2022, Nicco appeared on an episode of Food Network's Chopped and took home the victory in a pickle-themed competition. In 2023, Nicco was invited to teach at Harvard's Science and Cooking Program, and taught a koji and fermentation class with culinary explorer Rich Shih. In 2024, Nicco branched out from restaurant work and began teaching classes on wood-fired pizza, fermentation and koji, and cooking with local food. Nicco lives in Seattle with his wife, Sam, and their dog, Penny. Outside the kitchen, you can find him in the garden, hiking, skiing or hunting for mushrooms.