Growing up in Valencia, Francisco Javier Parreño, current head chef of La Nacional Restaurant in New York, didn’t know he would grow to love cooking, travel the world and come back home every time with a new cooking book or magazine to add to his library collection. With 25 years of experience as of today, he started his profession as young as 15 and later on opened a restaurant in the center of Valencia that offers cuisines of the world. Currently, Francisco puts his experience, knowledge, and love of cooking in each paella, patatas bravas, and other traditional Spanish dishes, that he crafts for La Nacional Restaurant’s clients.