Chef Alex Atala – Bringing the World’s Attention to Brazilian Cuisine

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Initially, you will likely frown at the price of a dish at D.O.M., but you will later on deem the food worthy of every cent you’d spend. Needless to say, you need to have at least $100 in your wallet if you would like to have a taste of what D.O.M. has to offer. The cooking of Chef Alex Atala does not come cheap, but his dishes are certainly worth the price. It should be. After all, the restaurant has won the Best Restaurant in South America Award in the recently concluded El Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants. It has also managed to grab the 24^th spot – and this is not an easy feat.

Chef Atala’s Story

Chef Atala knows culture fusion. After all, he is born of Lebanese parents and raised in Brazil. He grew up dealing with two different cultures – and these are not easy cultures to blend. The geographical distance between these two countries is huge. Perhaps, this is why mixing and blending cultural cuisines and recipes come so easily for him. This is also the reason why he is the one perfectly suited to culinary fusion. Perhaps, to some, it is ironic that a Lebanese brought the attention of the world to Brazilian cuisine. Curiously, he is not even mixing Brazilian techniques with Lebanese culinary techniques. What he is blending are Brazilian, French and Italian cuisines; and he is doing so quite successfully. This is actually what he is known for.

He actually pursued a degree in a culinary school in Belgium. He was only 19 years old. After he completed his formal culinary training in Europe, he returned to Brazil and he started his quest to introduce the world to this new fusion. He applies French and Italian cooking technique and recipes to his cooking and the results are often outstandingly mouthwatering.

This bearded and tattooed chef believes that every ingredient in a dish serves their purpose. However, when it comes to choosing his ingredients, he prefers sticking to what he can find locally. He just uses European techniques in mixing and cooking his dishes.

D.O.M. is his playground when it comes to cooking. D.O.M. is actually an acronym of a Latin phrase which means ‘God is Great and Maximum’. Over the past decade, he has managed to dominate the restaurant scene in Brazil and the restaurant is now widely recognized as the best in Brazil. However, Chef Atala’s endeavors are far from being over. He has opened a new restaurant Dalva e Dito. Perhaps, we will see this restaurant in next year’s list. There’s a lot we can expect from this DJ turned chef.

Image Credit: Alex Atala

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