Member of the month January 2021: Nuno Matos

​Here at The Staff Canteen, we feature a different member every month who we think deserves to be celebrated - this month’s winner is Nuno Matos

As thanks for being a regular and longstanding contributor to The Staff Canteen, Nuno will receive a TSC mug and will be entered in our Member of the Year 2021 competition.

1 Current place of work, position

I'm currently working as a sous-chef at Six Senses Douro Valley in Portugal, and have been since August 2020. 

2. What is your cooking style and what should people expect from the food on your menu?

I think I'm still trying to find my own style. I've worked in a lot of different kitchens and seen and learned from very different chefs with different approaches to food.

But trying to answer your very difficult question, I think I'm a sum of all I've seen and done and at the same time I'm exactly the opposite.

I tend to cook whatever and however I feel like cooking in that moment, sometimes using a lot of what I've learned, sometimes just doing without thinking of my past knowledge, sometimes a mix of both.

I tend to cook very natural and simple dishes, trying to highlight the products I have in front of me. I prefer to cook with seasonal and local products but sometimes I use some small elements from some far part of the world if I believe that will bring something special to the final dish.

I think people can expect to get fresh, seasonal dishes with some "hidden" flavours that give some other layer of excitement to it. As I tend to plate in a simple way people shouldn't expect to find a lot of visible different components in a dish. Thoughtful and tasty food.

3. What is your favourite dish to cook and why?

I have two things I love to cook at home: fish stew and pizza. Firstly because they're both delicious when properly prepared. The first always reminds me of good childhood moments spent with my family. The second because my wife loves it.

4) Name a food item/dish/ingredient that isn't considered "cheffy" but that you love to eat

Egg. Probably one of the most versatile ingredients you can find. It lends itself to both savoury and sweet preparations.

5) What do you like about The Staff Canteen app and website?

They're amazing platforms for everyone to share their creations. It allows for the sharing of knowledge, which is something I really value. It connects chefs and cooks from all around the world. It's always up to date with new information related to our industry. It's extremely easy and simple to use.

6) What are your plans for the future?

Right now I'm trying not to make any plans but I'll say that in the short/medium term to grow within the company I work for. I feel happy working there. In the long term, I think I'd like to open my own place. I already know what and how I would like to do it.

7) Topical question, if you could choose to take a blue pill and forget the past year ever happened, or take a red one and carry on, which would you choose and why?

Take the red one and carry on. Unfortunately 2020 was what it was but there's no point denying it or trying

to forget about it. There are valuable lessons to be taken from the current crisis. I did learn a lot from what happened and somehow I became better and stronger than before (at least better prepared for a crisis).