Albufeira was the stage for a starry and emotional gala

A room full and eager to find out what's new from the Michelin Guide, which for the first time had an exclusive gala for Portugal: this was what the auditorium of the Algarve Congress Palace was like, at the Hotel Nau Salgados, in Albufeira, on Tuesday night- fair, February 27th.

Expectations were high. Many expected the country's first three-star restaurant, others expected a woman to receive the distinction, since, of the more than 30 starred restaurants in Portugal, all are headed by men. Neither one nor the other came to fruition.

The night was, however, full of great emotion for everyone who took the stage and for those who knew that their stars remained.

In the Algarve, the good news is that there is seven restaurants that remained starred: Ocean (by chef Hans Neuner, at Vila Vita, in Alporchinhos, Lagoa) and Vila Joya (Dieter Koshina, Albufeira), both with two stars, the To See Tavira (Luis Brito, Tavira), Al South (Louis Anjos, Palmares, Lagos), Good Good (José Lopes, Carvoeiro, Lagoa), Taste (Heinz Beck, at Conrad Algarve, in Almancil, Loulé) and also the Vista (João Oliveira, at the Hotel Bela Vista, in Praia da Rocha, Portimão), all with one star.

Compared to last year, the list no longer includes Vistas, in Vila Nova de Cacela, where chef Rui Silvestre left in December.

Algarve restaurants thus have a total of nine stars.

João Oliveira, who was one of the gala's coordinating chefs, gives a "very positive" assessment of the night.

«There were many expectations, but it cannot be said that they were disappointed, because the Guide is completely independent and unpredictable and, therefore, what we want does not always happen. But everything went very well and it was a very special day for Portuguese gastronomy, which in a few years will bear incredible fruit», he told Sul Informação the chef at Vista, at the Hotel Bela Vista, in Praia da Rocha, Portimão, with 1 Michelin star.

As for the Algarve, the chef emphasizes that the region «has always been well positioned in the Guide», despite the fact that, in recent years, not many projects have emerged «with the due quality that the Algarve should provide, for strategic reasons».

João Oliveira considers, however, «that we are recovering» and that «having the first Gala in the Algarve was very good because it also provided more connection between the chefs who work here».

Still, he emphasizes that it cannot be said that the results were very positive for the region, as there were no new stars and one (from Vistas) was lost.

For André Gomes, president of the Algarve Tourism Region (RTA), these distinctions mean «a very important recognition for the region, of our diversity of gastronomic offer and the endogenous products with which these chefs work».

The person responsible for Algarve tourism spoke to the Sul Informação at the end of the gala, a time he also took the opportunity to leave some words of praise for all the professionals in this sector.

«The Algarve, and the country, continues to experience great difficulty in finding human resources for the restaurant sector, but, in fact, initiatives like this I believe are an asset for all those who love this profession and seek new challenges», he said, highlighting the role of Hospitality and Tourism Schools, particularly those in the Algarve, where some award-winning chefs have even passed.

This Tuesday night, those who also took to the stage to represent the Algarve were chef Nuno Martins, from Numa, in Portimão, and chef Noélia Jerónimo, from Noélia, in Cabanas de Tavira, both to receive the distinction within the scope of new recommended restaurants from the 2024 Guide.

On stage, there were tears and they even said “bring bread”, an expression used so many times by Noélia on the television program “Master Chef Portugal”, on which she has been a judge for two consecutive editions.

But the emotions didn't stop there. The biggest highlight of the night could be said to have gone to Vitor Matos, from Antiqvvm, in Porto, who became Portugal's new two-star. This chef also took to the stage to, together with Francisco Quintas, receive the first 2Monkeys star, in Lisbon.

In Estrelas Verdes (special commitment to sustainable gastronomy), the restaurant Malhadinha Nova, by chef João Sousa, in Albernoa (Alentejo), and Ó Balcão, by chef Rodrigo Castelo, in Santarém, were awarded.

This year, the Sala awards (Pedro Marques, from Yetman, Vila Nova de Gaia), Sommelier awards (Leonel Nunes, Il Gallo d'Oro, Funchal) and Young chef awards (Rita Magro, Blind, Porto) were also awarded for the first time. .

At a time when the Algarve is preparing to host another major event, the Moto GP, the president of the RTA highlights that it is «very satisfactory» that the region was chosen for this first exclusively Portuguese Michelin Gala.

«From the moment we became aware of this possibility, we embraced the project together with Turismo de Portugal and put all our effort into having a great party here».

Objective accomplished, André Gomes hopes that this will not be the last time that the region hosts the event, but emphasizes that «the entire country has its merit and also deserves this opportunity», since «the Portuguese gastronomic offer is extremely well-known and of high quality".

José Carlos Rolo, president of the host municipality, also told the Sul Informação that the Gala may have contributed to the current indicators of «good hotel occupancy recorded in Albufeira».

The 2024 Guide selection includes a total of 167 restaurants, of which 39 are Michelin Stars (8 two-star and 31 one-star), 32 are Bib Gourmand and 96 are Recommended Restaurants. In Portugal, there are also 5 that have the Green Star distinction.

Photos: Mariana Sedge | Sul Informação

Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the guide

Mari Paz Robina, president of the Michelin guide for Portugal and Spain

Cuca Roseta was invited to perform twice

At the end of the gala there was a tasting of dishes prepared by the chefs.