João Rodrigues

João Rodrigues, who abandoned his dream of becoming a marine biologist and turned to culinary arts and started his career by studying cookery and pastry in Lisbon, received the title of Best Cooking Student, signaling how assertive he is in this field. João Rodrigues, who had the opportunity to work with many star chefs in his career, had successful works with Bica do Sapato and Pragmra Restaurant chef Fausto Airoldi and at Hotel Ritz Four Seasons with Stephane Hestin and Sebastien Grospelier. Since 2013, the successful chef has been the Executive Chef of Altis Belém, where the Michelin-starred Feitoria Restaurant is located, and Altis Avenida Hotel, where Rossio Gastrobar is located, in Lisbon. Realizing a brand new project in the field of agriculture and gastronomy in Portugal in 2016, João Rodrigues established Projecto Matéria, which promotes respect for nature and the environment, good agricultural practices and local producers, which are the basic elements of Portuguese culture, and received the support of UNESCO. Rodrigues is appreciated by the gastronomic world for the direct relationship he provides between Feitoria Restaurant and local farmers.