Lisbon to host Michelin gala in November

Lisbon will host the next Michelin Portugal and Spain Gala on 21 November.

The ceremony will take place at the Carlos Lopes Pavilion at the city’s Parque Eduardo VII.

For many of the chefs present at the announcement at Lisbon City Hall it will be the first time that a Michelin Guides official ceremony will have been held on Portuguese soil.

The chefs present at the announcement included Miguel Rocha Vieira (Fortaleza do Guincho), João Rodrigues (Feitoria), Sergi Arola (LAB by Sergi Arola), José Avillez (Belcanto), Henrique Sá Pessoa (Alma), Joaquim Koerper (Eleven) and Alexandre Silva (Loco).

“I cooked at the first ever gala in Madrid, and I feel very proud to be able to do so again here in Lisbon”, said the Spanish chef Sergi Arola who lives in Sintra.

“Michelin made me very happy and surprised when we were awarded a Michelin star when we had only been up and running for a year” says Alexandre Silva of restaurant Loco, while José Avillez said it was “a great honour”.

The Minister of the Economy, Manuel Caldeira Cabral said, “This is an event which will bring a huge dividend to Portugal given the amount of media attention the ceremony will bring.”    

“That Lisbon will host the Michelin Gala is big news, which confirms the efforts being made to put Iberian cuisine on the map as well as the focus made on the local produce which is the basis of this cuisine and recognises the work of our chefs who are great ambassadors for the success of our national gastronomy, our producers, farmers and fishermen,” he concluded.