Albert Franch, Luka Balac & Carlos Henriques

Behind Nolla are three chefs who have joined forces in the pursuit of sustainability: Albert Franch, Luka Balac and Carlos Henriques. A Catalan, a Serbian and a Portuguese, they met while working at Olo and decided to create their own restaurant in 2017. 

Albert Franch is from Sallent (Barcelona) and landed in Helsinki after working at a resort on a remote island in eastern Thailand. It was a time when Nordic cuisine was in vogue and he decided to try his luck in Finland. Luka Balac came to Finland to visit his uncle and never left. Although his first steps were towards the seventh art, cooking eventually won out. 

Together with Carlos, they are committed to zero waste and every step of the gastronomic process is approached from a sustainability perspective: most of the products are produced within a maximum of 250 km of the restaurant; table linen and uniforms are made from recyclable materials... 

In 2022, the trio opened Elm, a more informal space where the Mediterranean flavours they grew up with predominate. And in 2024 came Nolita, half restaurant, half bakery, a more "hooligan" place serving breakfast and simple dishes.