The Alentejo's Gastronomy Through New Hands with Miguel Rocha Vieira at 'Forno da Telha'

Source: Mutante

Despite nearly 25 years of career, the Portuguese chef continues to show an open mind when it comes to the broad idea of cuisine. After all, there is no shortage of opportunities to create, as is the case of Forno da Telha, the Alentejo-style restaurant that opened in Évora in December.

After a career as a hands-on chef in London, France, Catalonia, Seville, Budapest, Cascais, and Lisbon, Miguel Rocha Vieira now serves as Culinary Concepts Vice President at AHM - Ace Hospitality Management, a Portuguese hotel management company. His goal? To create concepts and brands for the restaurants and bars of the group’s hotels — a role that takes him on endless journeys of knowledge, between cities and villages across the country, in search of ideas, sharing, and learning. That’s why he insists on saying that he’s a cook — the craft he chose approximately 25 years ago.

In January 2024, Chef Miguel Rocha Vieira became part of the AHM - Ace Hospitality Management team to create concepts and brands. It’s a herculean mission. The group decided that F&B should have a strong identity — because it enhances the properties and offers other experiences for guests. "When they brought me into the group, it was with the idea of creating restaurants that operate independently from the hotel. That is, you’re dining, but you don’t realize you’re in a hotel. They’re separate brands, with separate entrances. When I joined, several hotels were already open, so we had to rethink the gastronomic offerings of those places according to their location. The concepts starting now are created from scratch. Forno da Telha was the first with an independent entrance we opened, and it’s more closely associated with my name. For example, we opened Frango in Albufeira, which is super fun, but first I walked the streets of Albufeira to see what was missing there. At Casa das Lérias, in Amarante — opened in homage to the city’s traditional sweet, since that’s where lérias were born — we revisited the recipe, slightly reduced the sugar, and created six flavors. Coming back to Forno da Telha, if we had simply offered traditional Alentejo dishes, we would have been just another restaurant with the same things", explained Chef Miguel Rocha Vieira.

How are these concepts thought out, structured, and brought to life?

I get to know the spaces, see what’s available in the area, and what’s missing. I ask a lot of questions, and we share ideas. Our CEO, Mariano [Faz], has a very open mind. I don’t create everything. For example, the pizzeria at the Fontinha Hotel was his idea. We’ve already opened our 15th hotel, but there will be many more to come.

Is the cuisine at Forno da Telha based on Alentejo traditions and regional products?

It’s Alentejo, but seen through the eyes of someone from the outside. I didn’t know Alentejo cuisine very well, precisely because I’d spent so many years abroad. Portuguese cuisine isn’t exactly my strongest point. So, I got lost in villages. The idea is for guests to feel like they’re in an Alentejo home, warmly welcomed. That a plate of ham is served right at the table while the kids are by the pool. However, the tableware is different, and the plating is more refined. At first, people were immediately intimidated — especially with my name associated with Forno da Telha. They assumed it would be expensive. It took time to break that misconception, but now it’s much better. Little by little, I’ve distanced myself a bit so my name isn’t directly tied to this space.

Where did you go?

I went to Redondo to learn about Alentejo pigs, to Beja to see Alentejo cattle being reintroduced, and near Serpa for Vinho de Talha in Vila Alva. We explored more of the interior, not so much the coast. Ana Fernandes [from AHM’s Marketing department] is from Vendas Novas, so she helped me with this work. Rosa, who sells vegetables here at the market, invited me to her home, where she cooked in a wood-fired oven and showed me local food. Here, it’s very easy to make friends. People are happy to cook for you and show what they have and how it’s done. Projecto Matéria, by João Rodrigues — an incredible initiative — helped me a lot. For example, when it came to river fish, I relied on Projecto Matéria. I went almost to the border with Spain to find good river fish.

How far did your desire to learn Alentejo cuisine take you?

I asked people to cook. Rosa made many dishes! Saudade Campeão, in Beja, makes migas — wonderful ones! I went to see how they’re made and to taste them. Carne de porco à alentejana, ensopados… In the end, you realize that with two or three ingredients, you can make delicious dishes. Super simple, yet full of flavor.

Examples of dishes on the Forno da Telha menu?

We have, for instance, terrina with pennyroyal vinaigrette. For the pig’s trotter starter, I made a coriander kimchi. We serve migas gatas, in which the codfish is cooked at low temperature, shredded into flakes, and placed over the migas. We also have codfish with chickpeas, where we use the cachaço — a great gelatinous part of the fish — with tongues and sames served in a bowl on the side. The cod is also cooked at a low temperature to flake beautifully. For the side, we make a little stew. As for meats, we serve presa from the black pig we found in Redondo, lamb, and Alentejo beef.

With so many restaurants, can local producers meet the demand? Is there enough supply?

No, there isn’t! I had a huge struggle finding a typical Alentejo inland dish with sea fish other than cação or cod. So, I turned to river fish. I refuse to use scarlet shrimp. We need to have more respect and use our heads when buying — otherwise, you go to ten restaurants and find the same thing everywhere. We don’t need to go to the extreme of zero-kilometer sourcing. We need to put that idea into people’s heads — if there’s no product, we must use our creativity to make something else with what’s available, even if it’s something unfamiliar. And we need the mental discipline to taste and create.

Is that what happens in restaurants with vegetarian options?

It’s a way to keep pushing our creativity — and it’s also a growing trend. There are more and more people who refuse to have meat in front of them, for example. Before, if a vegetarian showed up in the dining room, we weren’t ready for it. So, we’d improvise something with carrots and spinach. Not anymore. It’s important to have a well-thought-out dish, something guests feel was crafted and designed for them.

How valuable is a chef’s experience and knowledge?

It’s worth a lot — but experience, stubbornness, the will to learn, curiosity, and a sense of sacrifice — that’s what’s missing in the younger generation. You can’t take shortcuts. You have to know how to do things, and for that, you need a foundation. If there’s no good product, there’s no good cuisine. You also need time, dedication, and skill. You have to go through it. It makes no sense for someone to say they want to be a chef but don’t want to work weekends or nights or do more than eight hours. That’s another kind of cooking — the one where you just open the frozen fries and fry them. But true cooking isn’t like that anymore. You must truly love being a cook — because if it’s not that way today, how will it be when you’re 40?

Try Miguel Rocha Vieira's delicious plates at Forno da Telha, in Évora.