Gil Fernandes*

Gil Fernandes is a Portuguese chef who was born and raised in a small fishermans town called Ribamar, in the centre west of Portugal. 
He loves his country, its rich culture, and his roots. His goal is to spread the Portuguese gastronomy culture over the world. 
 
Gil started his carrear at Tivoli Lisbon (with chef Luís Baena) and did an internship in Vila Joya where he got the real first kitchen “slap in the face” with chef Dieter Koschina. After that he went to Spain where he worked for one and half years at MB (Martin Berasategui-11 stars in total) in Spain. His journey brought him to The Netherlands where he worked for one year with Jonnie Boer at 3 Michelin star restaurant De Librije. Here he discovered the culinary art on the table.  
He strengthened his skills and added two extra experiences for a duration of 3 years at Restaurant Ocean (2 Michelin stars in Algarve, Portugal of Chef Hans Neuner) and an internship in Restaurant Geranium, nowadays known as the best restaurant in the world.
Gil joined his current job at Fortaleza do Guincho in 2015, where he is executive chef for 5 years now.
 
His menus are created with a philosophy of gastronomic values based on quality of the product, flavour, tradition, esthetics, and seasonality.
Gastronomy is based on culture, history and memories and he uses them as tool to elaborate his dishes.