After receiving his first Michelin star in 2014, Chef Leonel Pereira from São Gabriel restaurant in Almancil has won his establishment the ‘Platinum Fork’ as well as being considered ‘Chef of the Year 2015’ in Expresso newspaper’s ‘Boa Cama Boa Mesa’ restaurant-hotel guide.
Vila Vita Parc resort in Porches was also one of the grand winners, receiving the ‘Platinum Key’ for hotels and resorts and a sustainability prize awarded alongside national recycling entity Sociedade Ponto Verde. Its main restaurant Ocean also took home a ‘Gold Fork’.
The distinctions were awarded during a gala night at Palácio da Ajuda in Lisbon on Tuesday (March 31).
“This is a special year for me,” said the Algarvean Chef Leonel Pereira, born in Martinlogo.
“These two awards are a huge professional acknowledgment of me and my team. It’s a victory of the creative, authentic and consistent kitchen team as well as the front of house,” he added.
In the Expresso guide, Pereira is commended for his “undeniable delicateness which contrasts with his past as a Marine”.
It adds that his style of cuisine is based on “the flavours of his childhood which, although he has travelled the world, he has never forgotten”.
Speaking of Vila Vita Parc, the guide highlights how its “recent renovation work has confirmed that it is the most complete and luxurious resort in Portugal”.
Its distinctions also came as a result of its “personalised service and the thorough work its team accomplishes daily”.
