You have worked in internationally renowned restaurants such as Noma. Why did you decide to return to Ceará to start your own project?

I was born in Rio Verde, in the state of Goiás, in the heart of Brazil, and moved with my family to the coast of Ceará, to Fortaleza, when I was 14. I lived here until I was 21, when I decided to go to England to pursue a career in gastronomy. There, I graduated in international cuisine from the University of West London and worked in several restaurants in Europe.

Even though I lived abroad, Fortaleza has always been my home, because of my family, my friends and that feeling of belonging. After 12 years in Europe, when I obtained British citizenship, I felt it was time to return to Brazil to cook at home. I wanted to apply everything I had learned to local ingredients and be part of the gastronomic revolution that is underway here. In the end, returning to Ceará was a heartfelt decision: it’s where I feel at home.

How would you describe your cuisine?

I would define Amecari’s cuisine as international and creative, with a strong emphasis on local ingredients. Gastronomy has led me to explore more than 40 countries in search of experiences, from sophisticated restaurants to the simplest home kitchens, where the true origin of flavours unfolds. 

Despite your innovative approach, do you feel that local tradition always guides you?

I believe that we chefs translate origins into refined versions for the public. And local tradition has always guided me: the flavour of everyday food, of families and workers, is what inspires me to create new combinations, always keeping the soul of Ceará in mind.

Of all the ingredients produced in the region, which ones are essential in your dishes?

Some ingredients are the soul of Ceará and are always present in our menus: cashews, coconut, prawns, Guaramiranga mushrooms and delicious butter cheese, which I use a lot in sauces and creamy dishes. This is the produce that represents our region and faithfully conveys the local flavour.

Do you think that Ceará’s new cuisine still has a long way to go?

I think that it has flourished extraordinarily in recent years. We have many talented chefs, each with their own style, and an increasingly vibrant scene. I am extremely proud of this evolution. If we continue along this path – respecting local identity, valuing ingredients and investing in creativity – we will conquer more spaces in Brazil and around the world. Fortaleza continues to grow as a destination thanks to its natural beauty and the boom in tourism, which is increasing with new international connections.

 

Your menu changes very frequently. Is this because your loyal guests demand variety?

Yes. Our restaurant specialises in tasting menus, and we change them every week with gastronomic journeys around the world. The local public is demanding, curious and always looking for new experiences, which motivates us to avoid monotony. Each new menu is a great challenge, but also a constant learning experience, like a philosophy of life.

In addition to dinner, at lunchtime we offer an à la carte menu, which also changes weekly and follows the same concept of creativity and seasonality. It’s another way to keep the restaurant dynamic and offer new experiences to those who visit us during the day. We are currently working on launching a regional tasting menu alongside our international menu. This way, we will have a local menu for each season and an international menu that will continue to change weekly. We want to introduce the cuisine of Ceará to the world, especially to travellers. The launch of the regional menu is scheduled for January, and we are very excited about it.

Of all your signature dishes, which one are you most proud of?

I have several specialities, but there is one that is always on the menu: our amuse-bouche. It is a fresh coconut cream with organic mushrooms from the Guaramiranga mountains, served with a sweet and savoury coconut and mushroom confection, like a small bonbon made with coconut fibre after extracting the milk. It is a seemingly simple dish, but it deeply represents Ceará and brings together different biomes in a single bite. It has been a customer favourite since day one and symbolises the soul of Amecari.