Chefs Alexandre Silva and Andre Cruz promote Portuguese cuisine in California

This Saturday, chefs Alexandre Silva and Andre Cruz will promote Portuguese gastronomy in San Francisco, California at a traditional flavors dinner at Atelier Crenn, hosted by The Art of Tasting Portugal.

“This is a platform to promote Portuguese gastronomy through events and experiences with a tourism focus,” co-founder Patricia Diaz, who accompanied the chefs to San Francisco, told Lusa.

The company, originally founded in 2020, organized the event for the first time in the United States, including a presentation to the North American press.

“This is a significant market for us,” said the person in charge, noting that there are several areas of interest in the country, from San Francisco and Chicago to New York.

Reflecting the interest, tickets for the Portuguese dinner at Atelier Crenn, awarded 3 Michelin stars and one green star, sold out in less than half an hour. French chef Dominique Crenn, The Art of Tasting Portugal’s partner on the initiative, was impressed by the speed.

“She said that Americans are now very interested in Portugal, its tastes and history,” explained Patricia Diaz. Chef Andre Cruz will cook Azorda, for example, something that may be commonplace for the Portuguese, but for an international audience it is different.

“For those who are new to perhaps the texture, the history of why we make asorda in Portugal with these flavors, it becomes really interesting and almost an occasion to learn a little more,” emphasized the person in charge.

The dinner will focus on fish and seafood, highlighting the maritime connection between Portugal and California.

Chef Alexandre Silva (restaurant Fogo e Loco, one Michelin star) will present a dish with shrimp, tangerines and seaweed. Chef André Cruz (Feitoria, one Michelin star) will prepare a dish of fried turbot, turnip and coriander rice and lobster bread.

Wines will be presented from different parts of the country, including Quinta do Ameal, Esporão Reserva and Quinta dos Murças.

For the North American market, Patricia Diaz emphasized that the appeal of The Art of Tasting Portugal lies in creating personalized experiences that allow people to connect with chefs and visit the country through gastronomy.

U.S. tourists looking to visit Portugal can book chef experiences through the company’s website for a specific region.

“They are like masters of the country thanks to gastronomy,” echoed Patricia Diaz. “Each of them has a specific experience on our site, and then everything can be developed depending on the number of people, the time of year and specific interests, but always with gastronomy as the starting point for exploring Portugal.”

Atelier Crenn’s choice for the first US program was due to the “tremendous influence” of a French chef, “one of the most famous in the world”, who was in Portugal at the company’s invitation and took part. initiatives with your space in San Francisco.

The Art of Tasting Portugal intends to continue exploring the North American market, given that this first initiative is like a calling card.

“We are interested in repeating this,” said Patricia Diaz. “It’s important to say that we are open to taking this project forward and bringing more Portuguese chefs to other cities in the United States where we believe they can have a huge impact.”