“- Would you like a chopped up project?”
“- No! I want it whole. It’s to go into the oven.”
Between knives, boards, benches, and meats of the most diverse types, stuffed, sliced, our challenge arose. A change of space in record time. During this change, the client wanted a new identity. We had never done a butchery before, which demanded thought and research like we had never done before. Exploring the day-to-day life, the type of customers, many of whom are already “part of the house” and feeling what goes beyond what you can see at first glance.
Communicating the obvious here did not make sense.
We went back to Saturday mornings, in which many people go to the markets, butchers, fruit shops to supply their houses for the best “meetings”, those around the dining table.
It was in these mornings that we had access to “the people”. People who taught us what is often no longer in books. Tricks that only our mothers/fathers, grandmothers/grandfathers passed on to us.
And it was at that moment that the concept emerged: “what if we used the walls to share cooking secrets?” Amália sang that she could not even confess herself to the walls.
We have changed the narrative and our walls say it all. They say that the secret to duck rice is in the mint. That marjoram is great for stews and removing the strong smell of meat. And in the midst of these secrets, we left room for anyone who wanted to share theirs. A wall that becomes a journal for sharing. Nothing is static and definitive.
Until today, this was the concept in which more people were involved.
We found ourselves calling our parents, uncles, grandparents, friends, questioning them about recipes and tricks. From north to south, everyone said the same: “here is where you eat better”, or “here is where the real thing is made”. One thing was certain, our mouths are watering and we wanted to travel from north to south to gather around their tables.
But it was through the heritage of Filipa Vacondeus that we designed, as well as the hands of Alexandra from Atelier 13, Portugal, we brought the best of what is done in each region of the country. Because it is through the nuances from each region that our gastronomic richness is made.
It was a project that was marinated in the best wine and garlic. We made a stew with a flavorful a smell that had not been felt in a long time. We cooked it over low heat until it was ready.
It’s served.
Fátima Gonçalves
