Alex Atala Brazilian Chef
After years cooking in some of Europe’s most prestigious kitchens, chef Alex Atala shook up Brazil’s fine dining scene in 1999 with the opening of D.O.M. in his hometown of São Paulo. Diners immediately loved the restaurant’s focus on unique native ingredients, propelling it into the ranks of the world’s top restaurants—and earning two Michelin stars. With operations on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, Atala has been taking the opportunity to reconnect with family, even at a distance, and re-learning the value of time itself. Here, he shares his thoughts on everything from finding the right work-life balance to the one food he’s most looking forward to eating when this is all over.
