Luís Baena

LUIS BAENA grew up in a large family in Lisbon, where mealtimes were a focal point. When his relatives all come together, they number over 100. With his grandmother the daughter of the Spanish ambassador, he acquired, from a young age, a taste for fusion cuisine. He sees this as a features of Portuguese cuisine in its own right, however, stating: ‘I think it’s in our blood, you know? We have always loved those kind of melting pots. If you want a cuisine that can really reflect the trend for fusion cuisine historically, Portuguese is it.’ It is not surprising then, that his successful culinary career is marked with a personal stamp, not only of sumptuous new signature dishes, but also reinterpretations of many traditional recipes. The Notting Hill Kitchen, next to London’s famous Portobello Road, is his latest venture, and a place where he can settle, after four years of travelling between London and Lisbon trying to find the right space.

Travel was, however, not something new for Baena, who has travelled the globe stacking up 35 years of culinary experience, graduating initially in Brussels and working successively across four continents for the Hilton, Westin, Meridien and Marriott hotel chains. He has worked in Brazil, Mexico, the USA, Singapore, Japan, China, Macau, Hong Kong, Mauritius, Angola, Nigeria, Kenya, Holland, Belgium, France, Portugal, and now the UK.

Alongside his work as a chef, Baena also works in consultancy, training and catering. He is a teacher at the Escola Superior de Hotelaria e Turismo in Estoril, has written his own cookbooks, and regularly speaks at conferences, seminars and on TV and radio shows.

Baena is extremely proud of his heritage and is keen to promote Portuguese cuisine around the world. ‘Portuguese cuisine is like a hidden pearl in the ethnic cuisines in Europe,’ he says. In 1993, Baena represented Portugal during the celebrations of the arrival of the first Western people to Japan, by celebrating the 450^th anniversary of Portuguese-Japanese friendship and organising a Portuguese Food and Wine Promotion Fair at Westin Osaka, as a member of the President’s entourage.