Carla, tell us about your earliest memory with food. 

I don’t recall a single food memory as my first, but I do have many summer memories of

picking and eating peaches, plums, and figs in my family’s gardens. I remember the heat of the sun, the smell of ripe fruit, and the sweetness that came with sticky fingers and stained lips. Those moments stayed with me, and they’re probably why summer has always felt like abundance to me.

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Growing up, did you have any favourite foods? Any you couldn’t stand? 

While growing up, one of my least favourite foods was favas - Portuguese broad beans.

Their taste and texture were particularly unappealing to me, although nowadays I actually love them and have learned to cook them in various ways, including grilling them in their pods when they are still young and tender. As for my favourites, I have always loved fruit: cherries, watermelon, grapes, basically all of them. I also consider vermicelli pudding a dear, childhood-evoking dish because, although it’s traditionally a Christmas dessert, my grandmother used to prepare it for me throughout the year as a warm, spiced afternoon snack. On the savoury side, I always absolutely adored stews, especially those with tomatoes and mushrooms. Caldo Verde, a hearty, velvety Portuguese soup with thinly sliced kale in a potato-based broth, was, and still is, one of my favourite dishes of all time.

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How has your relationship with food changed over the years?

Growing up, I didn’t have a particularly close relationship with food. It wasn’t until

adulthood that I started to become more conscious of what I was eating. When I was 21, I removed all animal-derived ingredients from my diet and began eating more mindfully, which was a turning point for me. Becoming vegan introduced me to a much broader culinary landscape, vegetables, grains, seeds, spices, and diverse global cuisines. At the time, plant-based options were very limited in restaurants in my hometown, which pushed me to cook more at home. Through that process, I discovered not only a passion for cooking, but also a deep respect for ingredients and technique, which ultimately led me to pursue a professional path as a chef abroad. Today, my relationship with food is strongly rooted in sustainability. I believe it’s essential to understand where ingredients come from, to cook seasonally and locally, and to treat food as both nourishment and responsibility. For me, food has the power to heal, not only our bodies, but also our relationship with the planet.

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If you had to describe your approach to working with food in just three words, what would they be? 

Thoughtful. Creative. Sustainable.

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What’s one food or recipe you think people should eat more often for their health and wellbeing?

I believe people would benefit from eating more fermented foods, such as kimchi,

sauerkraut, miso, and tempeh. These foods naturally support gut microbiome health and help reduce inflammation. Because our gut plays a key role in how we respond to stress, regularly including fermented foods in the diet can help the body feel more balanced and resilient, ultimately supporting overall wellbeing.

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