i. Biography
Nieves Barragan’s work is best read through the kitchens that shaped it: Fino, Barrafina, and Sabor. Across those rooms, Spanish cooking is treated as technique rather than costume, with regional Spanish food, Basque and wider Spanish traditions, and open-kitchen dining all carried with the same plainspoken discipline. The titles attached to Nieves Barragan — executive chef, executive head chef, Chef Patron — point to a steady tightening of control over the same core idea: honest Spanish food, made with clarity and without ornament.
Coming Up
At Fino, the line from sous chef to head chef mapped a period of practical apprenticeship into authority. Nieves Barragan worked as sous chef from 2003–2007, then as head chef from 2007–2008, a stretch that placed repetition, pace, and precision at the center of the work. From 2008–2017, she served as executive head chef at Barrafina and Fino in London, England, a run that sharpened her association with Spanish cooking in a London setting and deepened the craft language that would follow her into later roles. Since 2018, Nieves has been founder / chef of Sabor. The through-line is continuity: Spanish kitchens, London rooms, and a style that keeps returning to the same measures of directness, structure, and control.
Where They Are Now
Chef Patron of Sabor in London, a role held from 2018 to the present, places Nieves Barragan at the point where kitchen discipline and room identity meet. That kind of role is less about display than about calibration: setting a standard for pace, consistency, and the way the dining room receives the food. At Sabor, the work is anchored in Spanish cooking, with a style rooted in regional Spanish cooking, Basque and wider Spanish traditions, open-kitchen, interactive dining, and honest Spanish food. Tortilla is the trademark dish at the restaurant, and that tells you plenty about the register of the kitchen. A dish like that depends on judgment and restraint, with the sort of control that only looks simple once it is already done.
Signature
Nieves's signature dishes include tortilla, Sabor: Flavours from a Spanish Kitchen, Classic tortilla, and Swiss chard sandwich. Read together, they point to a kitchen language built on substance, familiarity, and the kind of discipline that lets a dish carry its own weight.
In Their Words “Essentially, I grew up with my hands in the pig, and that’s why blood pudding is so important to me now.”
Honors
Nieves's honors include Michelin star (2018).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Nieves
What is Nieves Barragan's current role?
Nieves Barragan is Chef Patron.
Where did Nieves Barragan work before?
Earlier in their career, Nieves Barragan worked at Fino and Barrafina.
What recognition has Nieves Barragan received?
Michelin star (2026).
