AMALÁ is landing at Rio Boteco with a pop-up where chefs Luciana Berry and Julio Ketteley will introduce you to modern Brazilian cuisine through a 4-course journey. Native ingredients will be impeccably showcased, combined, transformed and enhanced, and traditional recipes creatively reinvented into a unique, memorable and exquisite dining experience. Luciana and Julio will present their own interpretation of Brazil's extensive range of local cuisines, each intrinsically epitomising the multitude of origins, accents and faiths of the Brazilian people.
Both Bahia-born and classically Le Cordon Bleu trained, no other chefs are as qualified as Luciana Berry and Julio Ketteley to run the AMALÁ kitchen. They bring unrivalled creativity and a genuine understanding of how to convey Brazilian gastronomy internationally as a diverse, unique and complex cuisine, which has a clear voice that can influence the best kitchens in the world.
Luciana’s interest in food started at a very young age, at frequent gatherings of family and friends at home. This often happened around the famous churrasco, charcoal Brazilian barbeque, which Luciana now expertly delights her guests with through her successful catering career in London which has seen her cook Brazilian food for Prince Edward and 10 Downing Street. Luciana has introduced Britain to many Brazilian exotic ingredients and cooking techniques as a semi-finalist in the popular BBC series Masterchef: the Professionals.
To Julio, blending culinary styles from different cultures is second nature. From exploring plantain recipes in Costa Rica, curing fish with vodka in Russia and creating the perfect paella in Spain, he travels the world in search of inspiration for his cooking. Combining his passion for Brazilian cuisine with his traditional French training, Julio creates complex combinations of flavours and textures. His particular passion is the expert execution of classic desserts with a Brazilian twist. Finalist in the Brazilian reality TV cookery competition ‘The Taste Brasil’, Julio runs a catering company and a successful food blog with tens of thousands of followers across Brazil.
Thais leaves behind an 18-year career in finance to be the restaurateur at Amalá. She will back the idea financially and manage the project, involving dealing with stakeholders and implementing the team’s ideas. For Thais, Amalá represents awakening the senses, creativity, teamwork, challenge and independence. A new form of self-expression, where different skills are at use, but also an opportunity to use her business knowledge and analytical drive to make this a profitable investment.
The pop-ups are the second phase of a project idealised by the ‘trio’, if you want to learn more click here: www.canallondres.tv/moderna-culinaria-brasileira-em-londres-amala/
To get tickets for the pop-up click here: www.designmynight.com/
