How is pastry evolving in Portugal? Francisco Moreira explains it in so good.. 30

Francisco Moreira was like many other young people who are initially attracted to cooking but end up discovering that their true path lies in patisserie, “after three years and three internships, I discovered that the pastry world had so much to do with me, and that is when I knew that I wanted to become a pastry chef,” he explains. From then on, this Portuguese chef embarked on a dizzying professional career that took him to five-star hotels, Michelin restaurants, a TV show called ‘ADN Pasteleiro’ in which he emerged victorious and an international adventure, first in Spain at the M.B. Restaurant** in Tenerife, and then in Belgium on board the Chocolate AcademyTM team. For the past six years, he has focused on supporting the Barry Callebaut customers of the BeNeLux market, teaching chocolate and pastry courses, and working on local marketing campaigns. Most recently, he was made Co-Creation Chef within the Customer Engagement team of Marketing EMEA of Barry Callebaut.

In so good .. magazine 30, we spoke with Moreira about his style, his sources of inspiration, and his aspirations. Below, we share on www.sogoodmagazine.com his reflections on the evolution of pastry in Portugal.

Modern pastry is slowly becoming a trend in Portugal

In so good.. magazine 30, Francisco Moreira assures that Portugal is a country with very deep roots when it comes to traditional pastry. There are many types of preparations that are part of it history, and because of it, they are not always in line with modern times.

“Today though, mainly due to a new and very talented generation of pastry chefs in the country, modern pastry is gradually becoming trendier and has evolved significantly in the past years. This new generation has learned from the past and improved the pastry movement in Portugal, giving space for everyone to grow and providing support towards one another. “I think we can only expect a lot of high quality and well executed pastry in the years to come from Portuguese pastry chefs.”

The profession of pastry chef, increasingly visible and respected by society

Moreira had the opportunity to film two seasons of a TV baking show for 24Kitchen Portugal. The experience, he remembers, was incredible because he “had to find ways to make professional applications in a home environment, with the goal of making pastry more approachable to the public. It was a challenge to do so, and I learned a lot from it.”

In his opinion, and as a result of this television incursion, “from a society perspective, our profession has become not only more visible and more respected, but it is also linked to a very precise savoir-faire, and a lot has been done to achieve this”. In fact, “restaurant chefs are playing a role here – nowadays many restaurants have implemented a designated pastry team and are giving the proper recognition for their work, which before was not always the case. Additionally, I believe that social media has been a tool to reach a broader audience, which creates interest and, consequently, visibility,” he continues.

Sustainability and zero waste: the future of pastry

According to this chef, there is no doubt that trends are followed by what the consumer wants, “they are the ones dictating the rules and we, as pastry chefs, need to understand this and translate it into our work. Vegan, gluten-free, or no-additives are some examples of what the consumers are asking for, so it is up to us to correspond to their expectations.”

And what he is very clear about is that the pastry’s future is going for sure towards a more conscious way of working – thinking of sustainability, zero waste, etc. – “I believe this is what makes sense in the years to come.”

Discover the complete interview and these three creations by Francisco Moreira in so good.. 30