Jorge Raiado and yours salmarim, as well as the barman João Rodrigues were the two Algarvians awarded a few days ago as the "Best of the Year 2016", an initiative promoted by the specialized magazine WINE – The Essence of Wine, which every year distinguishes personalities and projects in the areas of wine and gastronomy.
Salmarim, in particular the fleur de sel which is the apple of the eye of this family-based company in Castro Marim, created by businessman Jorge Raiado, won the «Artisanal Product of the Year» award.
João Rodrigues, who is the barman Columbus Cocktail & Wine Bar, in Faro, was awarded the «Mixologist of the Year».
Although salt and drinks don't seem to have much in common, Jorge Raiado and João Rodrigues are already engendering joint projects. And, to begin with, they had a photo session in charge of professional photographer Ricardo Bernardo, using the beautiful interior of Teatro Lethes as a backdrop, in Faro.
João Rodrigues is 31 years old and has been in Columbus for nine years, mixing flavors to make different drinks. According to magazine WINE – The Essence of Wine, «the Columbus Cocktail & Wine Bar, in Faro, worth visiting. The space invites and the quality of the drinks menu, preparations and staff make the experience even better. There, everything has a color and is not thought of by chance. João Rodrigues is the protagonist but, above all, one of the best performers today. Technique and creativity are attributes that we recognize and praise”.
It was this technique and creativity that earned João Rodrigues the award for «Best Mixologist of the Year». And what is a mixologist? Sul Informação. «He is someone who knows how to mix flavors. It's a new terminology in our field. A good barman he has to be a mixologist, that is, he has to create new flavors, to know how to mix flavors to create something new».
João Rodrigues, who last year was in the final of a world competition for bartenders, in Miami, and this year he was invited to the jury of this same competition, which will have regional and national finals and the final in Mexico City, has two signature cocktails: «one that takes tequila, strawberry and spicy, the other in which I use salt water, and which attracted a lot of attention when I was in Lisbon in last year's national final», says the young mixologist.
And it is here, through these mixtures, sometimes bold, of flavors and experiences, that a future collaboration between Jorge Raiado's Salmarim and João Rodrigues' mixologist wisdom may pass. Raiado, who is one of those entrepreneurs who are never idle and whose head is always bubbling with new ideas, guarantees: “Will we have joint projects? Absolutely yes! Like? We don `t know yet".
Salmarim is not just another company that produces salt. Since the beginning, Jorge Raiado's main focus has been on connecting Salmarim to gastronomy and to the great chefs, Portuguese and foreign, who operate in Portugal and beyond. It's just that, as the magazine points out WINE – The Essence of Wine, «the quality of the fleur de sel, which is born in the Castro Marim saltpans, the delicate and dry texture, activates the aromas of the food».
And from the creativity of the entrepreneur and his small team, innovative products and flavors have already emerged, such as smoked fleur de sel or flavored with lemon, oregano and parsley, olives and chillies. «The fleur de sal is the apple of the eye of this company that, despite being familiar, has grown remarkably», concludes the specialized magazine, in the highlights it made about the nominees for the awards.
Jorge Raiado admits that the awards that he and João Rodrigues received “feel good”. «These are prestigious awards, which we do not compete for, but for which we were nominated. I have no idea who the jury is. But these are awards that underline, at a national level, the quality of the work being done in the Algarve. It is the recognition of a product and work from a region that is often far away, and which everyone remembers only in the summer, when they come here on vacation. But the Algarve has much more than sun and beaches, it has quality products and people working here».
And do awards bring more responsibility to those who receive them? Jorge Raiado admits that he does: «we have become even more responsible not only for what we do, but also for promoting everything around us, everything that matters – and it's a lot! – from our Algarve».
The choice of the beautiful Lethes Theater in Faro, for the joint photography session, it has to do with this mission of promoting the goodness of the Algarve that the entrepreneur took on for a long time. «We chose Teatro Lethes because we wanted an emblematic place in the Algarve», explained Jorge Raiado. “What we do is also linked to culture, gastronomic culture and wine culture”, he adds.
The awards were delivered in Porto, at a ceremony in a five-star hotel, which took place on the 27th of January.
List of winners:
João Rodrigues
Mixologist of the Year
salmarim
Craft Product of the Year
Henrique Sa Pessoa
Chef of the Year
Duarte Calvao
Food Personality of the Year
Vasco d'Avillez
Wine Personality of the Year
Jaime Jose Barcelos
Personality of the Year in Brazil
Portocarro Estate
Producer of the Year
Maria Grande Reserva 2011
Wine of the Year
Jorge Moreira
Winemaker of the Year
Antonio Coelho
Sommelier | Wine Director of the Year
Crazy
Gastronomic restaurant of the year
king of piglets
Restaurant with Best Wine Service
Azores Wine Company
Breakthrough Producer of the Year
Photos of: Ricardo Bernardo
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