Noelia García

Stewmistress at Los Pisones (Gijón, Asturias)

A chef, and indeed a "guisandera" or stewmistress, who claims you learn something every day in cookery, even when you already have knowledge.

Noelia had always been fond of cooking, especially desserts, and so it was hardly surprising that she used to help her grandmother Elena to make all kinds of sweets: but it was when she met husband Luis that she decided to make a profession out of it. His parents ran the Los Pisones restaurant, which is now managed by the couple's children, Beatriz and Luis, and his wife Noelia.

She started out by lending a hand in the kitchen while she was still studying, and in the end she stayed there to help her sister-in-law Beatriz. Noelia acknowledges everything her grandmother and her mother taught her, but also the assistance of her sister-in-law Beatriz, and also her mother-in-law Leni, "from whom I've learned the most, and I'm still learning".