A Culinary Journey Across Continents to COMO Parrot Cay

My family is Portuguese, but I grew up in Venezuela. Food is a very important part of our culture. I remember spending summers collecting grapes and the sharp scent as we crushed them underfoot, the juice staining our heels as we made wine the old-fashioned way. Family life was all about good wine and great food. When I was 17 we moved back to Portugal, and my journey with food really began. A friend offered me a job in a kitchen, and I was bowled over by the bustle and excitement; the chaos thrilled me.

I bounced between Spain, France and Portugal, but it was my time in London that really made me a chef. I spent 14 years there, working under some brilliant chefs, and the Michelin-starred Andrew Wong. But my big break - at least in terms of my passion - came when I was working under the renowned Sardinian chef, Mario Ena, at a restaurant on Bond Street. That man changed my life. He treated me like family. Every morning, we'd roll out that day's pasta together by hand - ravioli, tagliatelle, everything. And at the end of each day, we'd sit down and eat together; simple bowls of pasta accompanied by stories. Mario taught me that food is never just food - it's memory, ritual, and language. That's when I knew I'd found my calling.

These days, I'd describe my cuisine as creative Mediterranean, with South American and Asian influences. I love simplicity; grilled fish, good olive oil, fresh herbs. It's got to be beautiful and taste incredible. I care about the ingredients more than anything. Give me a perfect tomato and I'll build a dish around it. That's the essence of good food. Of course, working on an island as remote as COMO Parrot Cay can make sourcing ingredients challenging. Things don't always arrive when they're supposed to; order tomatoes, and the supplier sends squash. You ask for a specific fish, they say, “not in season.” You learn to pivot. I've built strong relationships with my suppliers now. They know what I like. They'll send me photos in the morning - “Chef, I've got beautiful beets today,” or “no greens, but we have baby carrots,” and I build the menu around that. It's not just cooking anymore, it's a whole collaboration.

Every day, I write the menu from scratch, based entirely on what arrives - the best, freshest ingredients we can get, even if they weren't what I expected. It keeps me on my toes. With an ever-changing menu, it's hard to pinpoint a favourite dish. One of my proudest achievements is our sushi menu. I also love the cacio e pepe - creamy, peppery, with the right pecorino and just enough starchy bite; there is magic in its simplicity. Or a 30-day dry-aged Wagyu ravioli, cooked gently until it's rich, bold and silky. A few weeks ago, I served scallops with Champagne sauce and Champagne caviar which was spectacular.

I've got big dreams for the kitchen here. I'm heading to Thailand this year - to COMO Metropolitan Bangkok and COMO Point Yamu in Phuket - to fully immerse myself in Thai spices and flavours, then bring fresh ideas back to COMO Parrot Cay. I want to understand every flavour properly. It's not enough to replicate these things, you need to respect them, then reinterpret a cuisine to suit your own ethos.

Beyond that, I'm planning to open a farm here on COMO Parrot Cay. I want to grow our own vegetables; for guests to taste this island - the sun, the soil, the salt air - in every bite. I'm talking tomatoes that still smell like the vine; herbs picked five minutes before they're served; the rich, tangy-sweet juices of fruit I'd never even heard of before moving to the tropics. We might be remote, but I want COMO Parrot Cay to serve the best food in the Turks and Caicos; for guests to visit not just for perfect beaches and crystal seas, but for food they remember forever.

For more information or to book a stay at COMO Parrot Cay, please contact our concierge team.