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The memories that inspire a dish
The desire to relive the good sensations of the past and create new ones for the future is the poetic philosophy of Portuguese chef Rita Magro.
The chef of the Blind restaurant in Porto is a firm believer in taking guests on a journey to the limits of memory without losing touch with their roots. Winner of this year's 'Young Chef Award' from the Michelin Guide, she considers it "an important distinction that has opened up many opportunities for me, such as being here today. Because although my focus is to do my best every day at Blind, it is also important to go out and see things that make you grow," she explained. He also acknowledges that this award, "which, as they say in Portugal, is a lucky break that gives you a lot of work, raises your career and gives it a different meaning, although for me the great luck is to work with Vítor Matos, who offers me perfect working conditions to reconcile my personal life, something that gives me mental health, comfort and a lot of happiness. This is also fundamental for professional success,' she said to applause.
Rita advocates 'feeling, touching and provoking' with food, where for her taste is paramount. So much so that the Blind restaurant, located in a small hotel whose rooms are dedicated to Portuguese writers, is a tribute to José Saramago and invites you to taste the dishes blindly. And, above all, a taste that brings back pleasant memories, such as those of his grandparents' house near Coimbra, where he spent many of the happiest moments of his childhood. They lived and worked in the fields in a small village of 20 inhabitants with their own vegetable garden, which had a great influence on my cooking," she says. And just like his grandfather, "who was a visionary because even then people ate horse mackerel raw, I'm going to make a more sophisticated version of pickled sea bass. To do this, he cleaned a sea bass fillet, "although you could also do it with mackerel".
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