Dieter Koschina
Flavour is foremost for the innovative Austrian native, now resident in the Algarve.
Dieter Koschina
Vila Joya
Portugal
Aside from cooking, Koschina is a dedicated Bayern Munich fan and a keen traveller, who owns three Harley-Davidson motorbikes. His favourite expression is ‘vollgas!’, meaning ‘full throttle!’
AUSTRIAN-BORN Dieter Koschina (b. 1962) has been head chef at Portugal’s two Michelin starred Vila Joya since 1990. He was awarded his first star there in 1995. Working together with Italian Matteo Ferrantino, he combines local produce from the Algarve with northern European cooking techniques. The restaurant has been ranked 22nd in the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants since 2013.
Koschina’s contemporary cooking style centres on taste, colour, presentation and precise processing. Innovation is also key. His guiding culinary philosophy is: ‘First the flavour, then the presentation.’ Not that his culinary creations don’t look the part, it is simply that freshness and flavourfulness of ingredients takes precedence. The most important factor for him is the quality of the produce, which is, as far as possible, local.
His favourite expression, ‘vollgas!’, meaning ‘full throttle!’, applies to his life as well as to his work, and his passion for cooking comes from his mother. Prior to arriving in the Algarve, Koschina worked with Heinz Winkler at Tantris in Munich, Gerhard Schwaiger at Tristán in Puerto Portals on Majorca, and Eckardt Witzigmann. He now encourages young Austrian chefs to join his team of 20 at Vila Joya, thereby helping to nurture future generations from his homeland.
Team spirit is something Koschina is keen to foster in his kitchen. And, although he works hard all day, he likes to party at the end of it. In fact, when asked what the essential ingredients for his type of work are, he lists four: the hands, the product, the presentation and the party.
Aside from cooking, Koschina is a dedicated Bayern Munich fan and a keen traveller, who owns three Harley-Davidson motorbikes. Each has its own specific use: one is parked in the Algarve for sunny cruises and daily relief, while the other two are reserved for longer journeys, sometimes even as far as Scandinavia.
Perhaps Koschina’s most important statement is the one which sums up his philosophy of life: ‘If I don’t like my life, I change it. It’s not about the money, it’s about fun.’ And it is surely this spirit which imbues the flavours of his culinary creations.
