Executive Chefs: José Avillez

The true nature of Portuguese cuisine is maintained with the appearance of new, young, active and innovative Chefs, that dedicate their working lives to creating a better environment at the Portuguese table. This is the case of José Avillez, who believes that to sit at a table is much more than just eating, it is a social and a familiarising activity. Through his project, “Life style cooking”, José Avillez aimed at improving the Portuguese gastronomic culture by producing dishes that enhance the flavours of Portuguese traditional cooking and by teaching people how to cook through classes and cook-books.

Who is José Avillez?

He was raised in the area of Cascais, and being just a young graduate from a Marketing and Communications degree, José Avillez decided to start exploring his passion for cooking in a more serious way. A series of courses and internships from around the world fill his curriculum, including working with some of the greatest international chefs, such as Alain Ducasse, Ferran Adriá , Claude trois Gros and Eric Frechon. He opened the “100 Maneiras” restaurant in 2004, which became an immediate success in his home town. Apart from his restaurant business, this young and dynamic cook writes cooking books and has his own space in Cascais that gives cooking classes, caters for private events, and has a take away section.

What they say about José Avillez

“Very eloquent, fun and dedicated to his art, José Avillez grasps you with his speech. He tells things with simplicity and, although he is very young, he has admirable memories. He says a good cuisine needs a lot of knowledge and many books have to be read.” Laurinda Alves (Portuguese writer and journalist) in “A Substância da Vida”

“This young Chef, stubborn for excellence, promises to not stop here and continue his course, always with the help of his team, the vital and fundamental part of everything he has achieved until today.” Câmara Municipal de Casacais in “Chefe sem Datas”