Alex Atala wins the Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award

Next month Brazilian chef Alex Atala will receive the Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s ceremony for Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna the event is taking place in Lima, Peru on September 3^rd and will recognise Atala’s contribution to Brazil’s culinary identity across Latin America which is voted for by the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, a group of over 250 industry experts from across the region.

Atala says: “I feel very happy and extremely honoured to receive the Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award. I hope that with this recognition, Latin America's gastronomy gains a louder voice and that its strength is shown. I also hope that with this award, people see the power of ingredients to drive social change and, especially, that by structuring the food chain, it’s possible to place greater value on our culture and environment.”

From the kitchen of D.O.M. in São Paulo, the chef has pushed the boundaries of Brazilian cuisine, gaining critical acclaim both at home and abroad, and even changing the attitude Brazilian restaurants had towards their own traditional fare. Last year, his flagship restaurant ranked number two in Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants. In 2014, D.O.M is positioned in seventh place in the list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants.

D.O.M. (Latin acronym that stands for Deo Optimo Maximo: “To the greatest and best god”) was opened in 1999 by Alex Atala with the aim of changing the modern history of Brazilian cuisine. At that time, many of the restaurants in São Paulo disdained the country's own larder: ingredients such as açai, pupunha or cupuaçu were out of favour. Atala chose to capture the true essence of Brazil, with all its flavours, colours, textures and smells, of course; in other words, to celebrate what his country produces.

As a result of his pioneering approach, the chef boosted demand among the most renowned restaurants in the country for these ingredients grown by the indigenous communities. Atala has also played a key role in discovering and promoting ingredients through expeditions to the Amazon, alongside scientists and anthropologists.

Eduardo Tobón, President of Diners Club International, says: “Alex Atala helped the world rediscover the treasures of Brazil, bringing the endlessly diverse and exciting flavours of the Amazon into full focus. He is an artist in the kitchen, and the guide to a new frontier of cuisine. Diners Club International is proud to honor Atala’s imprint on the culinary world and celebrate his contributions to global dining.”

Finally, at the awards ceremony on September 3rd, other prestigious awards will be presented such as the Veuve Clicquot Latin America's Best Female Chef 2014 and a brand new award: Latin America’s Best Pastry Chef, sponsored by Cacao Barry.