About
A Michelin Bib Gourmand kitchen, brought to your table in Chicago.
Nicolás Mónaco — private chef in Chicago, currently cooking at Mama Delia in Wicker Park, with Mediterranean and Latin American menus shaped by Argentina, Miami and Madrid.
The story
Buenos Aires to Wicker Park.
Ten years in Argentina taught me that a long table, a slow fire and honest produce are a language on their own. Ten more in Miami put every cuisine in the Americas within walking distance. Six years in Madrid gave my cooking its Mediterranean backbone — first as Sous Chef in fine dining, then as Head Chef.
Today I am in Chicago, cooking at Mama Delia in Wicker Park, a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, and taking a limited number of private bookings alongside it. Cooking for eight people whose names I know asks for the same technique as a full service — and a great deal more listening.
I work in English and Spanish, and I read a table quickly. That is the difference between a menu that impresses your guests and one that is genuinely for them.
Four cities
Buenos Aires → Miami → Madrid → Chicago
Buenos Aires
where the fire started
Miami
every cuisine in the Americas
Madrid
Sous Chef, then Head Chef
Chicago
Mama Delia, Wicker Park
Credentials
The background behind the table.
Michelin Bib Gourmand kitchen
Currently cooking at Mama Delia in Wicker Park, Chicago — a Michelin Bib Gourmand kitchen. That standard travels with me to every private table.
Madrid fine dining leadership
Six years in Spain: Sous Chef at the fine-dining restaurant Pimiento Verde, then Head Chef at C Gourmand, leading menus, sourcing and service.
Formally trained
Culinary Arts and Management, Culinary Institute of Argentina, 2021 — technique, costing and kitchen management, not just recipes.
Private tables since 2022
Bespoke dinners for private households, celebrations and executive gatherings, designed around how each group actually likes to eat.
How I cook
Exacting in the kitchen, easy in the room.
Restaurant precision, your kitchen
Fine-dining execution and plating discipline, delivered quietly in your home. High standards on every ingredient that comes through the door.
Four cities on one palate
Argentina, Miami, Madrid, now Chicago. Mediterranean and Latin American cooking are not references I borrow — they are how I learned to eat.
Effortless hospitality
Fluent in English and Spanish, discreet when it matters, happy to talk you through every course when it doesn't. Easy company in any room.
Nothing left for you to do
Menu design, sourcing, prep, service and a spotless kitchen afterwards. You host; I handle the rest until the last plate is cleared.
Where I cook
Chicago and beyond.
Private dinners across Chicago — Wicker Park, Bucktown, Lincoln Park, Gold Coast, River North, West Loop, Streeterville — and the surrounding suburbs and North Shore, including Evanston, Wilmette, Lake Forest, Hinsdale and Naperville. Travelling further for the right project is usually a yes.
Chicago, Illinois · WhatsApp (872) 214-6642 · chef@nicolasmonaco.com
Plan your dinner