Alex Atala
Brazilian chef of Palestinian and Irish descent
Biography
Alex Atala is a Brazilian chef, born in 1968 to a family of Palestinian and Irish ancestry, and one of the figures who has done most to bring Brazilian cooking to international attention. At his restaurant D.O.M., in São Paulo, he reworks traditional Brazilian dishes by applying French and Italian techniques to native ingredients.
In May 2012, D.O.M. was ranked fourth in The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, published by Restaurant magazine, and it also received the title of best restaurant in South America in that ranking. Atala also hosted a television programme on the Brazilian channel GNT. In 2013 he co-founded Atá, an institute devoted to people's relationship with food, together with Roberto Smeraldi and Carlos Alberto Ricardo, among others.
In 2019 the chef and his institute were accused of registering the name "Cerrado vanilla" as a trade name with Brazil's National Institute of Industrial Property, without prior consultation with the rural communities who traditionally use this ingredient in their food culture. His work remains closely associated with the defence of Brazilian biodiversity and local produce.
Key contributions
- A reworking of traditional Brazilian cooking through French and Italian techniques, with native ingredients at its centre.
- D.O.M., the São Paulo restaurant that reached fourth place worldwide in 2012 and brought Brazilian cuisine into international debate.
- The Atá institute, founded in 2013, focused on people's relationship with food.
- Books such as Por uma Gastronomia Brasileira (2003) and Com Unhas, Dentes & Cuca (2008), which set out his view of the country's cooking.
- A television programme on GNT and an appearance in the documentary series Chef's Table.