The well-known and respected East Costa Chef is launching “The Art of Cooking with Love” in Lagoa, his hometown. The Diário dos Açores newspaper went to talk with him in São Miguel Island.

Tell us a little about this book.
The idea of doing this book was born more or less 16 years ago when I was a trainer at the Nordeste Professional School. I was invited by the school’s management, which at the time was chaired by Dr. Eduardo Medeiros, to write a book. Still, it wouldn’t be a cookbook, but about professional training based on the area I taught: table/bar and living room cooking.
Then, suddenly, the opportunity arose to go to the United States, so the idea was put on hold.
After a few years in the United States, I kept this idea in my head, and one day I said to myself: I have to make this dream come true, so I began hard at work for two and a half years, more or less, to finish the book, from selecting the recipes to writing, cooking, and photographing.

José Artur has been a chef for many years and is well known in São Miguel, where he has managed several restaurants. From what you see today in your hometown, are there many differences in cooking?
Yes, the restaurant industry has evolved a lot, thanks also to the work done by vocational schools, the efforts of entrepreneurs to evolve, and the substantial influx of tourism, all of which have forced more restaurants to open, with better and more options to choose from, and the quality has improved a lot.

How is your life as a chef going in the USA? Your restaurant in the Algarve has been very successful, according to the news we’ve heard. Is it very different from here?
My life as a chef is going well. For 10 years, I worked on behalf of others, always as a chef. Then came the opportunity to open my business, which wasn’t easy. I started my business in February 2020, and in March, the pandemic hit. It was a tremendous struggle, but I overcame many obstacles, and then it returned to normal. Now, there are wars and other problems, the economy is not at its best, and things are going up and down, but we are managing with our quality and always betting on Portuguese cuisine to succeed and achieve our goals.

You were a trainer in the Azores. What memories do you have of that time, and what importance do you attach to training?
I have enormous memories, 12 years training young people who are now men, which I treasure with great gratitude. I still maintain close friendships and contact with these people, many through social networks, and I know that many are still working in the profession today and hold management positions in some hotel and restaurant establishments.
I attach great importance to professional training because we manage to take people who know nothing about the area. Then, as the days, weeks, months, and years go by, we see their progress and see them enjoying life and achieving their personal and family goals.
I would love to see many of my former students and now friends at the launch of my book.

Can you quickly receive and find products from the Azores in the USA? Was it essential to encourage the export of our products to that country?
Yes, we received good products from the Azores and mainland Portugal. In the beginning, it wasn’t as easy as it is today. You can find warehouses with everything you need to develop your business.
In my case, I used to receive fish from the Azores regularly, but prices have risen so much that I’ve had to back off a bit; the economy isn’t very healthy either, and people are holding back on buying it, but as I live in New Bedford, where there is the largest fishing port in the United States, we have the facility to have perfect quality fish and seafood, always fresh, daily, and at better prices.

What will the book launch be like?
The book launch will take place on December 15 at the Convento dos Frades in Santa Cruz da Lagoa, my parish of birth, where I hope to have a room full of friends and family I haven’t seen in a long time.
It will be a night of great emotions; the rest will be a surprise.

jornal@diariodosacores.pt

in Diário dos A;cores, Osvaldo Cabral – director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno