Motivated by the willingness of his grandfather – who had one of the most respected restaurants in the Cascais area, Choupana – João began to gain a taste for cooking. It was at ESHTE that he learned the whole theoretical part of gastronomy. In the summer months, he took the opportunity to practice at Vila Joya, Albufeira and Farol Hotel Cascais. He worked in asian cuisine in Portugal, at Umai, and then went to Tokyo to live this experience. He was also at EMO, when they won the Garfo de Ouro, at River Lounge and later at Esporão, where he was able to follow Pedro Pena Bastos to the Rota das Estrelas, Blood n’Guts and Peixe em Lisboa for 2 consecutive years. One year on of welcoming him at LOCO, sharing with us his passion for cooking and all the techniques he has acquired over the years, he has conquered the team and today he takes the role as our Sous Chef.

Seeing the father take the lead in the kitchen at home, since he was a child, was the first step to begin his journey in gastronomy field. He went by restaurants like Avenue at Avenida da Liberdade and Aizian in Bilbao. Upon returning to Portugal, he went on to an internship at LOCO and, as soon as he finished, he accepted the chef’s invitation to stay at Alexandre Silva no Mercado. All the work he developed guaranteed him a place in I+D and, later, the continuous presence in the main kitchen of LOCO.

No one could imagine that a primary school teacher would end up in a restaurant. João never stops. From working in a snack-bar he jumped to Mercado da Ribeira, where he became the manager of two bars and met Alexandre Silva. In Loco, he is responsible for the dining service – but the good soundtrack of the restaurant is also on his hands!

There are 18 years of experience now gathered in the LOCO dinning room. He debuted at Le Meridien and quickly improved his taste for customer service. In 2007 he was at Yasmin, where he met chef Alexandre Silva, who invited him, when he took over the leadership of Bocca, to be part of his team. He helped the restaurant in achievement for the Garfo de Ouro, a place in the Michelin Guide and 6 stars by Time Out. He went with the chef to open the Mármoris Alentejo and in 2014 he was at Histórias da Casa da Comida. His interest about wine was maturing and after going through the Estado D’Alma , the Hotel Skyna, Sushic and finally the Garrafeira Campo de Ourique, he began the Sommelier Program, at EHTL.