Algarve will host the first Michelin stars gala in Portugal

The first exclusively Portuguese gala will take place on February 27, 2024, at NAU Salgados Palace, in Albufeira

Photo: Mariana Carriço | Sul Informação

The first “Michelin Star Revelation Gala – Portugal” will take place on the 27th of February next year, at the NAU Salgados Palace, in the municipality of Albufeira, this Friday, the 2nd of June, was announced at a press conference held at the School of Hospitality and Tourism of the Algarve, in Faro. 

«The decision we took to present the selection of the Michelin Guide version 2024 of Portugal and in Portugal is because we believe in the potential of the current Portuguese gastronomic scene and we want to contribute to position Portugal internationally», revealed Nuno Ferreira, representative of the Michelin Guide in Portugal.

«This decision had the support of Turismo de Portugal, which believed in the Michelin Guide as a partner to support the implementation of its goals, more specifically with regard to gastronomy and wines as a factor of differentiation and value», he added.

The conference was also attended by representatives of Turismo de Portugal, the Algarve Tourism Board, the mayor of Albufeira and several chefs, Among others.

Rui Silvestre, from the restaurant Vistas Rui Silvestre (1 Michelin star), and Dieter Koshina, from the Vila Joya restaurant (two Michelin stars), will be the gastronomic coordinators of the event, which will serve a dinner for 500 people, prepared by a wide selection of chefs from the Michelin Guide of the Algarve.

«For us, it is an honor for Guia to finally be in Portugal after so many years of waiting», confessed Rui Silvestre, saying that he hopes that this will be a «starter engine» for more gastronomic events to take place in the region throughout the year. the year.

For João Fernandes, president of the Algarve Tourism Region, it is «an honor to receive this Michelin Guide for Portugal, in the Algarve, in February».

 

Photo: Mariana Carriço | Sul Informação

 

«This is a choice that, naturally, is not alien to the work that has been carried out in the region and the dynamics that restoration has presented. And I speak from the tasca to the fine dining to Michelin restaurants, where, fortunately, we have witnessed work that also results from the training that has taken place in hotel schools and in the companies themselves», he continued.

João Fernandes also highlighted the fact that the Algarve had already developed gastronomy guides for a long time, picking up traditional dishes that were being lost, praising the Mediterranean diet and other regional products.

«We have, in fact, developed a work that today brings us to this good port. This will also be an opportunity to promote the destination and to reinforce its notoriety», stressed the president of the RTA.

Luís Araújo, president of Turismo de Portugal, pointed out that gastronomy and wines were, in 2017, established as one of the 10 main assets for the enhancement of Portugal as a destination.

«Tourists who come here, the two things they praise the most is the friendliness of the people and the cuisine. This obliges us to work hard to promote our gastronomy and enhance our resources and training. In the last four years, the volume of research on Portuguese gastronomy has increased by 26%, and it is high time that we stop being known only after the visit and become the reason for the choice», he said.

 

Photo: Mariana Carriço | Sul Informação

 

For the president of Turismo de Portugal, this partnership with the Michelin Guide will thus «help to position traditional gastronomy, and, above all, innovative cuisine, on another level and in another dimension».

This will be the first time that Portugal presents its own selection of Michelin Guide stars, separate from Spain and with its own event. The Guide has existed for 100 years and is considered a world reference, being present in four continents and 40 countries.

«This longevity is due to the work of a team of inspectors from more than 15 nationalities who, on average, have lunch and dinner in restaurants more than 300 times a year, paying all their invoices» and taking their decisions «in a totally independent», Nuno Ferreira also stressed.

José Carlos Rolo, president of the host municipality, also highlighted the importance of the event for the Algarve and for the municipality of Albufeira.

«We are talking about an event from a highly regarded brand worldwide that reinforces the low season in the Algarve, which really needs cutting-edge events at that time of year», he told the Sul Informação.

 

Photo: Mariana Carriço | Sul Informação

 

As for the fact that the choice fell on Albufeira, the mayor reinforces that the decision was made by the Michelin Guide and that the Municipality is ready to receive the gala and support whatever is needed.

This year, Portugal kept all the stars, accumulating a total of 31 restaurants with one star and seven with two stars. Five new restaurants with one star also entered the guide.

In the Algarve, there are eight star restaurantsOcean (by chef Hans Neuner, at Vila Vita, in Alporchinhos, Lagoa) and Vila Joya (Dieter Koshina, Albufeira), both with two stars, and even To See Tavira (Luis Brito, Tavira), Al South (Louis Anjos, Palmares, Lagos), Views (Rui Silvestre, Sesmarias, Vila Nova de Cacela, Vila Real de Santo António), Good Good (José Lopes, Carvoeiro, Lagoa), Taste (Heinz Beck, at Conrad Algarve, in Almancil, Loulé) and even Vista (João Oliveira, at the Hotel Bela Vista, in Praia da Rocha, Portimão), all with one star.

The 2023 guide thus brings together a total of 1.401 restaurants in Spain, Portugal and Andorra, including 13 with three stars, 41 with two stars and 235 with one star, in addition to 831 recommended for their quality (135 new, 15 in Portugal).

 

 

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