Breaking Bread with Culinary Superstars in Portugal
It’s not every day that you get the chance to eat and drink with a country’s top food influencers.
R-L: Pedro Cardoso, Alexandre Prado Coelho, Diogo Fonseca, André Magalhaes, Sheree M. Mitchell, D. André de Quiroga, and Silvio Rosado.
I’ve been researching, following, and tasting Portugal’s budding food and wine scene for over five years now. My journey started deep in the Alentejo in Southern Portugal back in 2015 before working its way up to rural border towns near Galicia last year. For me, this has been nothing short of a dream. As a lifelong advocate for authentic cultural immersions, having the chance to explore the concept of food (and wine) as a country’s most accessible intangible cultural heritage really excites me. Fortunately, I got the chance to meet a group of culinary influencers who felt the same way.
What started out as a private cheese dégustation with Pedro Cardoso, Portugal’s leading cheese expert, quickly turned into a lively four-hour multi-course tasting menu (including regional wines) with six of Portugal’s superstars.
It was absolutely amazing.
From internationally-known food journalists to Portugal’s most prominent aristocratic gastronome, I later learned that these local VIPs are normally inaccessible to most.
Even more of a reason to feel extremely honored to break bread with them, especially on their home turf.
Sheree M. Mitchell is an American travel specialist who lives between Portugal and her native Florida. She is the president & founder of Immersa Global, a boutique destination management company and tour operator. Mitchell was recently appointed President to the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) Chapter in Portugal where she uses her global network to connect Portuguese travel suppliers with American buyers. She enjoys exploring new places and meeting new people, preferably over a bottle of wine. You may learn more about her here.