MEET THE CHEF: Luís Pestana of William at Reid's Palace, a Belmond Hotel in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
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5 Reasons to Visit® sat down with Executive Chef Luís Pestana of Michelin-starred William at Reid's Palace, a Belmond Hotel in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.
Executive Chef Luís Pestana of Michelin-starred William at Reid's Palace, a Belmond Hotel in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Where did you grow up, and where have you traveled to that has helped inspire and shape your cooking philosophy?
I grew up and studied cooking in Madeira in my youth but continue to study every day. Either through reading or research. Since then, for leisure or work, I have traveled a little around the world, more in European countries, although I have also visited Brazil, Mexico, and the United States, namely the States of New York, Massachusetts, California, Texas, and the state of Nevada, more specifically in Las Vegas. I was also in Russia, namely in Moscow and St. Petersburg. All these contacts, with different philosophies as colleagues, colleagues with different gastronomic cultures, with different aromas, and culinary concepts, their traditions, as well as gastronomic trends, help to constantly enrich my knowledge of products and lead me to constantly reflect and adjust my gastronomic orientation.
William at Reid's Palace, a Belmond Hotel in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Tell our readers an interesting fact or two about yourself.
I grew up surrounded by my agricultural family members and neighbors. It was very normal for me to climb trees to pick fruits and eat on the trees. Today, I use my childhood influence a lot, food linked to fruits. In my preparations, I use fruits in different ways as it is a products with a lot of flavors and a lot of perfume. I use a lot of products of organic origin and many products that we buy directly from the farmers, to obtain more freshness and more quality in the products, as well as being a way of helping them to value their products and compensate them for their great work, for their great effort, keeping the profit margin that normally remains with the intermediaries of the business. On the other hand, I like to create dishes that take me back to my childhood, to bring a more natural cuisine to the present day, with the striking flavors of my childhood, the connection to food cooked with wood, to slower, tastier cooking, more striking and with the identity of the place where we are.
Tell us about your absolute favorite food and why readers should try it if they haven’t already.
I like a little bit of everything. But what fascinates me the most is not the expensive products, that money helps to buy, but those products that most marked my childhood. Local pastries, local fruits, meat, and local fish, cooked according to their traditions, namely bolo do caco, skewered meat on laurel sticks, chicken and eggs from the countryside, fresh limpets from the Madeiran coast, and everything typical of Madeira. Even the vegetables produced on the island have a different flavor due to their volcanic soils which provide a greater concentration of nutrients and aromas. That, for me, is the big difference in the quality of the products that mark us and stay in our memories forever.
William at Reid's Palace, a Belmond Hotel in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
What are three ingredients that you simply couldn’t live without?
I really like the arboreal tomato for its exotic flavor (tree tomato or tamarillo), the typical Christmas tangerine for its striking scent, and loquats because it is a different fruit from the others and also has a striking flavor. They are products that allow me to travel to my childhood and bring me good memories, very good memories of the freedom and pleasure of eating fruit straight from the trees.
We love the art behind plating. What do you love about designing the perfect dish?
It is a great challenge and a great responsibility. It is necessary to mentally idealize and then move on to practice. Start to assemble the idea in aesthetic terms and above all in terms of taste, in terms of harmony. I, personally, like to think that I can do more and better and I like to contaminate those around me with this philosophy. I like to challenge my team and encourage people to do things differently and better. Above all, I love to create without limits, without barriers, and without constraints, letting myself fly.
William at Reid's Palace, a Belmond Hotel in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Tell us about one of the most creative dishes you’ve created?
Many of the ideas or creative processes take a long time to perfect. I remember in particular one idea that I really liked, it gave me a lot of joy to do and for a few years, I tried to improve and then stop doing it due to less positive feedback. When I was a child (and it still exists in some bars and restaurants in Madeira), there was what they called "barley coffee" which in reality was a "more economical coffee,” as it was an imitation of coffee made with roasted barley, that has a characteristic flavor. It marked my childhood because at that time, coffee was much more expensive and not all families could or wanted to spend so much money on it. I created a dish of veal fillet au gratin, served with a coffee-infused sauce, which for me was spectacular! I loved it! However, I haven't made this dish for over 15 years and I've never tried anything like it again. I promise to give it another try, one day.
William at Reid's Palace, a Belmond Hotel in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
What is one of your greatest accomplishments and/or recent awards you've earned?
Undoubtedly, it was the achievement of the Michelin star, thanks to the work of the entire kitchen and restaurant teams. I consider that the annual renewal of the star has been a bigger challenge, because it has been about showing consistency since November 2016 and that, for me, thanks to everyone involved in the William Restaurant project, was and has been the great achievement of all of us among others, but this is the one I highlight the most.
What are some of the latest trends you’re seeing in top restaurants across the globe?
Trends are constantly changing, but I believe that the greatest change has been in the different food preferences, namely to different food diets or food styles, such as vegetarians, vegans, and other food allergies or intolerances. In the past, restaurants imposed their cuisine. Today we need to win over customers with our gastronomic offers that then provide great gastronomic quality and service. As a whole, it has to be a memorable experience that encourages the customer to want to come back, to miss us, to feel as happy as if they were at home, or even better.
William at Reid's Palace, a Belmond Hotel in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
