Nelson German

Chef
Nelson German

Oakland

About Nelson German

Chef Nelson was born and raised in NYC. His passion for cooking started as a young boy while watching his mom and grandmother create amazing dishes with simple ingredients. He garnered over a dozen years of experience in the NYC restaurant scene working his way up from prep cook to Executive Chef. During that time, he had the fortune of being trained under Iron Chef Yuji Wakiya at Gramercy Park Hotel. Fast forward to 2010, Chef Nelson relocated to Oakland, CA where he fell in love with the culinary scene. He chose to open his very first chef-driven eatery, alaMar, in the heart of Oakland. Since then, he has been commissioned by Visit California and Visit Oakland to showcase California cuisine in their Mexico/Arizona sales missions. He was an esteemed panelist at the Cuisine Noir conference and Golden Gate Restaurant Association Annual conference. He took home the crown for the 2018 Oakland Athletics Town Cook off against 3 other Oakland Chefs. He has been featured in a Golden State Warriors commercial, as well as Coca Cola, Pam Cooking Spray, and Milk commercials, in addition to a BuzzFeed Tasty episode and numerous local news stories. He was nominated as Best Chef in 2018 and his restaurant won Best Oakland Restaurant in 2016.

My Venues

Accolades

  • Michelin Guide Recommended
    2016

Featured Content

The Dish That Makes Everyday Taco Tuesday
01:28
The Dish That Makes Everyday Taco Tuesday
December 15, 2017

When taco cravings strike at Chef Nelson German’s house, he doesn’t mess around—bright, piquant slaw paired with spicy seared catfish filets does just the trick. In this new series, chefs show us how the new PAM Spray Pump fits into their at-home kitchen rituals, by combining ease with quality. Sponsored by PAM Cooking Spray. Learn more here.

Family Meal | alaMar Kitchen & Bar
01:28
Family Meal | alaMar Kitchen & Bar
November 16, 2016

A restaurant is only as good as its team. Luckily, the best thing for any group of people who spend hours and hours in each other’s company is something a restaurant is well-equipped to provide: a meal. The restaurant ensemble only works by — quite literally — breaking bread together. We’ve teamed up with Coca-Cola to give you a glimpse of the most important meal of the day at Oakland’s alaMar Kitchen & Bar, where Chef Nelson German and his crew treat family meal as a creative main stage. Sponsored

Where I Go Out

House-made spam
House-made spam
Liholiho Yacht Club
$$$, Reservations, Full Bar, Hawaiian, Lower Nob Hill
"House-made spam Wow this took me back to my childhood! awesome off-menu dish!!! Megan the bartender was amazing and very accommodating. Since coming to California this is my favorite restaurant experience so far."
Nelson German
Chef
Nelson German
alaMar
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At My Venues

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