◆ What inspired the idea for Chefs on Fire? Was there a specific moment that sparked it?

Chefs on Fire was born, like most things that are beautiful, out of love and logistical challenges. My sister asked me to cook for her and her friends on her birthday in a small house in Alentejo. It was supposed to be a small affair, but 60 people RSVP'd, which was to be prepared in a very, very small kitchen. I decided to find a tree near the house and hang pork bellies, chickens, legs of lamb, and pineapples, make a fogo de chão, and under it cook 40 kilos of veggies in curanto. It was wild and fun, and as I was gazing at the sunrise and listening to music while tending to the fire, I realised “this would make a pretty cool festival”. 10 months later, we were doing it for 750 people, and 7 years later, it’s 25 thousand in three countries. Go figure.

◆ If you had to describe the essence of Chefs on Fire in just three words, what would they be?

Family, connection, real.

◆ You come from the music world; how does that background influence the way you curate the experience?

I would not say I come from it, but after 30 years of producing language used throughout. I love music, and I think it ties experiences together and is essential to the live experience alchemy. The challenge is how to innovate using a market that is very structured, but I think this year in particular (with our new “The Artists table” format), we nailed it.

◆ How do you choose which chefs to invite to cook over fire? What makes someone a good fit?

First, I spend a year eating (355 restaurant meals the past 12 months!) to find talent – luckily, in Portugal, we have plenty, so that’s easy. Next, we evaluate fire skills (not necessarily past experience, but more an assessment of how their skills translate to large-scale fire-only cooking. Finally, we look for professionalism: how easy will it be to work with this person and his or her team? Once we get that final shortlist, we try for diversity as much as possible – gender, location, cuisine.