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Portugal is one of those countries that you always want to visit at any time of the year and, if we talk about Cascais, a corner of unique beauty, much more. We have traveled to this coastal town in the Lisbon region, known worldwide for its spectacular beaches, its old town of cobblestone streets, its opulent villas and palaces, its summer Jazz music festival and its rich culinary tradition, to attend the main gastronomic festival focused on the culture of fire in Portugal: Chefs on Fire. “The mandatory rules are two: chefs must use flames for cooking and must show the public the process of preparing the dishes,” explains the organizer, Gonçalo Castel-Branco.
This event, which began five years ago with a local flavor, has become an enclave of high-level culinary pilgrimage for foodies, professionals and the curious, where the common thread is the aroma of embers and fire (all dishes are cooked exclusively with firewood), showcookings, dynamic talks and live music.
An innovative concept
It is a festival with an innovative concept whose values are based on quality, sustainability and flavor, and which has been distinguished with the Portuguese Government’s National Gastronomic Tourism Award and Mesa Marcada’s Gastronomic Event of the Year. This edition brought together 28 of the leading and emerging chefs working in Portugal (including 8 Michelin stars) and 4 Spaniards (1*), who had a separate box inside the venue. All of them have used their skills and infrastructure to simmer dishes around a 90 m2 fire pit from noon to midnight during September 8, 9 and 10 in the FIARTIL gardens, and within walking distance of the famous Estoril Casino.
Food, drink and good live music
Chefs on fire is light, energy, the rebirth of embers and ashes. A return to the origin, to a cooking with fire, to flavors capable of transporting you to another time and another place. The event, which is based on the premise of education about fire to enhance the flavor, has been visited by more than 8,000 people in the three days that have been able to enjoy a unique dining experience that combines good food, drink and live music, all in an atmosphere of coexistence and marked family character, with large children’s areas at popular prices. In addition, it is clearly sustainable, betting on the use of cane pulp plates, glass cups, wooden cutlery and recycled paper napkins, giving the surplus food to different NGOs. A DNA, that of sustainability, with which the event was born in 2019. Therefore, Chefs on Fire aims to lead the way towards a more sustainable festival market, focused on eight fundamental pillars:
- Equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Nature.
- Energy.
- Mobility.
- Water and sanitation.
- Materials and circularity.
- Food and drink.
- Food waste.
The best chefs of Portuguese cuisine
In the professional part of the event, twenty-eight of the most outstanding chefs of the local scene (all selected according to the criteria of the organization) showed their skills among the different stages around a bonfire using a unique infrastructure to elaborate their most exclusive creations with the best local products: meat, fish, vegetarian and desserts. Day 8 was opened by such relevant chefs as Alexandre Silva (Loco/ Fogo); Bruno Caseiro (Cavalariça); Vitor Adao (Plano); Joao Magalhaes (Tricky’s); Tiago Penao (Kappo); Joao Rodrigues (Projecto Matéria); David Jesus (SEIVA); Andreia Moutinho (ACPP); and Ruben Trindade & Francesca Dias (Casa do Gadanha). Day 9 kicked off with Gil Fernández (Fortaleza do Guincho); André Margalhaes (Taberna Rua das Flores); Hugo Candeilas (Oficio); Marta Figueiredo (Estrela da Bica); Ricardo Ferreira (Elemento); Joao Sá (SÁLA); Tiago Feio (Tia Tia); and Zé Paulo Rocha (Velhvo Eurico). After a somewhat rainy start on the last day, which did not discourage the public to come to the fair, the weather allied with the fair and the influx of attendees was remarkable throughout the day. On this day, António Loureiro (A Cozinha); Carlos Teixeira (Herdade do Esporao); Marlene Vieira (Marlene); Paulo Alves (Kabuki); Vasco Coelho Santos (Euskalduna Studio); Diogo Formiga (Encanto*); and António Galapito (Prado); and Catarina Nascimiento (83 Gastrobar) cooked.
And to end an excellent meal, what better way to finish than with a good dessert. Every day there was a pastry chef who sweetened the visitors with his delicious creations. Well-known pastry chefs such as Andreia Moutinho (ACPP – Association of Professional Chefs of Portugal); Fábio Quiraz (Belavista Hotel & Spa*); and Natalia Castro (Isco).
Spain, guest country
Although in previous editions some non-Portuguese chefs had already participated individually, this year the organization opened participation to a foreign country for the first time, and Spain was the first guest. As Castel-Branco explained to us, “in this 2023 we decided it was time to open the festival to other countries, and the choice of Spain was natural. Because of its proximity, of course, but, above all, because of the proven quality of its gastronomy, which is perhaps the richest in the world”. In fact, Madrid will host the first international edition of this event in May 2024.
Thus, the magic of the embers of the ‘Palco Espanha’ was inaugurated by Begoña Rodrigo, owner and executive chef of the restaurant La Salita (*Michelin), who was accompanied by Chabe Soler, cook at her restaurant, preparing Valencian paella over a slow fire, in four huge paella pans; on day 9 it was the turn of Rafa Zafra (Estimar and Casa Jondal), who delighted those present with a dish of beans with tuna and Iberian bacon; and on the last day the tandem formed by Rafa Panatieri & Jorge Sastre (Brabo and Sartoria Panatieri), served a muffin bread stuffed with braised ham, cabbage and smoked butter. Every day, there were hundreds of people queuing up to taste their dishes.
When we meet them we greet them with a handshake and exchange some opinions. “They all tell us that they liked the experience and that they had a great time, so they invite us to create bonds of union since we have very similar gastronomic cultures.”