From Toronto to Barcelona: The Journey of the Iconic Bar Nøė’s co-owner | Success Story: Kiya Alexis

Sometimes, when we make a decision because we know something in our lives needs to change, we are also moving, often without realising it, towards something much deeper: a new way of understanding our place in the world.

For Kiya Alexis, one of those decisions came when she realised that the path she had chosen after high school was not truly hers. After several years studying Urban Planning in Canada, she decided to pause and listen to an intuition that had been quietly growing inside her: the need to build a life more closely aligned with what genuinely inspired her. What followed was a journey of personal and professional discovery, one that led her across different countries, cultures and ways of understanding gastronomy until she eventually found her true vocation.

It was during a period in Mexico that cooking stopped being an interest and became a life project. Fascinated by the country’s cultural and culinary richness, Kiya decided to take the next step and turn her passion into a profession by studying at the Culinary Institute of Barcelona (CIB), a school whose contemporary vision of gastronomy, entrepreneurship, creativity and sustainability perfectly matched her own concerns and ambitions.

Today, Kiya is co-owner of Bar Nøė, one of Barcelona’s most distinctive gastronomic projects: a restaurant where food, creativity, hospitality and warmth come together in a close, familiar atmosphere. What is most remarkable is that the life she is building now looks strikingly similar to the one she imagined when she applied to study at CIB. Back then, she wrote that she dreamed of living somewhere interesting, soaking up the local culture and cooking fresh, sustainable food for people she cared about. She thought it might take her a decade to get there. And yet, barely five years later, she was already living exactly that life.

Turning passion into a career

Although Kiya had been working in hospitality from a young age and had gained experience in cities as diverse as Toronto, London and Mexico City, it was during her time in Mexico that she decided she wanted to pursue gastronomy professionally.

The country’s rich culinary heritage, combined with the opportunity to work alongside a chef who deeply inspired her, gave her a completely new perspective on cooking. Rather than seeing it simply as a technical discipline, she began to discover a world in constant evolution, one where there is always something new to learn, explore or challenge. “I remember thinking: this is endless. I’m never going to know everything,” she recalls. And that was precisely what attracted her most. Cooking offered something she had been searching for: the possibility of continuing to learn for the rest of her life.

Once she had made her decision, she began looking for a school that reflected her own vision of the profession. The Culinary Institute of Barcelona immediately stood out for a very specific reason. It did not simply teach students how to cook; it encouraged them to think about the future of gastronomy. Creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability were central pillars of the program, perfectly aligning with the questions and ambitions that were already shaping Kiya’s outlook on the industry.

“I felt that the CIB was preparing students for the reality of the future hospitality industry,” she explains.

Arriving in Barcelona marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter. Beyond the opportunity to study in one of Europe’s most dynamic gastronomic places, Kiya remembers those months with a sense of enthusiasm and curiosity. For her, the PCAC · Haute Cuisine Chef program represented a chance to deepen her passion, challenge herself and connect with people who had chosen to dedicate their lives to gastronomy. She had found the place where a passion could become a profession.

Several years later, many of the lessons she learned at the CIB continue to shape the way she works. In particular, she values the importance of creativity and collaboration. Learning how to listen to different perspectives, overcome creative blocks and perform under pressure are skills that remain part of her daily life.

Because if there is one lesson that stayed with her throughout her training, it is that the best ideas rarely emerge in isolation. They grow when people feel confident enough to share them, develop them and build on them together. It is an approach that continues to define her work at Bar Nøė, where creativity, collaboration and adaptability are woven into everyday life.

Bar Nøė: from devoted customer to co-owner

Kiya’s story with Bar Nøė began long before she became part of the team. At first, she was simply a customer. Or perhaps not quite simply a customer: she admits that she became a devoted admirer of the restaurant from the very first time she visited.

She was captivated by the food, the creativity behind the concept and the intention that seemed to lie behind every dish, qualities that have also earned Bar Nøė recognition within Barcelona’s vibrant gastronomic scene. But there was something else that drew her in just as strongly: the atmosphere. Bar Nøė had a warmth that is difficult to manufacture, a sense of familiarity that made guests feel part of something bigger. For almost a year, Kiya repeatedly reached out to the restaurant in the hope of joining the team. She wanted to learn, to be part of the project and to absorb everything she could from the people behind it. When the opportunity finally came, the connection was immediate. From her very first day, she felt she had found a place where she could grow.

Becoming co-owner of Bar Nøė marked a defining moment in her career. She is the first to admit that the experience has been intense. She had never run a restaurant before and, at the same time, still considered herself a chef very much in development. Balancing those two realities requires constant adaptability.

At Bar Nøė, Kiya’s role extends far beyond the kitchen. She is learning how to make decisions, navigate the realities of restaurant ownership and shape the experience of every guest who walks through the door. For her, serving great food is only part of the equation. As she explains, half the challenge lies in making people feel welcome, cared for and eager to return.

In many ways, her time at the CIB helped prepare her for that responsibility. The school encouraged her to approach the profession with an open mind, a willingness to learn and the confidence to find solutions when challenges arise. It also taught her not to be afraid of thinking differently, sharing ideas and creating the conditions where creativity can thrive.

During her first months as co-owner, Kiya describes herself as a sponge. She absorbed information, observed how the restaurant operated and searched for her place within an already established project. Now, she feels those experiences are beginning to settle into something of her own. The lessons she has learned, the places she has explored and the people she has met are all starting to find their way naturally into her cooking.

CIB and Kiya: a connection that continues to grow

One of the most rewarding aspects of this new chapter in Kiya’s career has been reconnecting with the CIB from a completely different perspective. A few years ago, she was the student arriving in Barcelona eager to learn. Today, she is one of the professionals helping the next generation take their first steps into the industry.

Bar Nøė recently welcomed Daniel Trias, a CIB graduate and the first intern to join the team through the connection between Kiya and the school. For her, the experience has been an overwhelmingly positive one.

She is particularly impressed by his attitude, his willingness to learn and the curiosity he brings to every shift. “He comes in motivated every day, asks questions and is always experimenting with new things,” she says.

Watching young professionals begin to build their own careers reminds Kiya of her own early days in the industry. It also reinforces something she has always believed: the future of gastronomy depends on creating spaces where new generations can learn, grow and develop their creativity.

A dream still on the horizon: opening doors for the next generation of chefs

Working alongside young professionals like Daniel has also reconnected Kiya with an idea that has been with her for years. Even when she first arrived at the CIB, she already had a clear vision of something she hoped to build one day. Her dream was never simply to open a restaurant. She imagined creating a space where emerging chefs could develop their creativity, design their own menus and share the ideas that inspire them during the early stages of their careers.

The idea came from something she had observed herself as a young chef. For many people entering the profession, the first years are shaped by learning, following established systems and adapting to the demands of a professional kitchen. It is an essential stage of growth, but one that often leaves little room for personal expression. That is why she began imagining a different kind of project: a platform where new voices could find visibility, confidence and opportunities to showcase their talent. A place where creativity would not be a privilege reserved for a select few, but a tool for growth, discovery and recognition.

Although her focus today is firmly on Bar Nøė, that vision remains very much alive. In fact, her experience as co-owner is helping her understand better than ever what it takes to build a sustainable hospitality project, bring together the right people and create an environment where ideas are encouraged to flourish.

And perhaps that is the most beautiful part of her story. Many of the dreams that brought her to the CIB have already become reality. Yet she still carries the same curiosity, the same ambition and the same desire to create opportunities for those coming after her. For Kiya, success has never been solely about reaching a destination. It is also about helping others find their own path.

Kiya’s advice for those who feel they are on the wrong path

When Kiya looks back on her decision to leave Urban Planning, she remembers how difficult it was to admit that the path she had chosen was not making her happy. She had invested years of effort in that education and came from a family with a strong academic tradition. Acknowledging that she wanted to change direction meant facing many questions, both from herself and from others. Over time, however, she came to understand that ignoring that intuition would have been far harder than making the decision to start again.

So when asked what advice she would give to someone considering a career change or thinking about following a calling they are still unsure of, her answer is clear.

For Kiya, this does not mean making impulsive decisions or changing your entire life overnight. It means taking the first step. Researching a course, saving for a future project, asking for information or beginning to build a plan. Any action is better than standing still.

Kiya knows that fear is part of the process because she has lived it herself. She also knows there is no guarantee that the next step will be perfect. But there is one thing she is certain of: staying somewhere you already know you do not want to be can become far more painful than exploring a new possibility.

Her own story is proof of that. A student who chose to leave behind a path that no longer felt like hers. A young woman who allowed herself to explore the world before finding her vocation. And a professional who, years later, has built a life that looks remarkably similar to the one she imagined when she first arrived in Barcelona.

Perhaps that is why her message feels so simple and so powerful: if there is a voice inside you that has been saying, for some time, that another path exists, it is worth listening to it. The rest begins to take shape when you take the first step.