Since the mid 90's, Miguel Castro e Silva's name is mandatory when we want to mention the great renovators of Portuguese cuisine. In Porto, where he was born in 1961, mainly at the Bull & Bear restaurant, he showed how it was possible to combine the products and gastronomic memories of the Portuguese with contemporary techniques (he was, for example, one of the pioneers of low temperature cooking, using vacuum, in our country) and openness to the world. 

His career was eventful when he came to Lisbon in 2009, with experiences in various restaurants and consultancies, holding until today in the city a space in Mercado da Ribeira. But, currently, it is again in the North that his cuisine stands out the most, namely at Cantina restaurant, at Quinta do Ventozelo, in the Douro region, but also at Casario, in Porto, and at De Castro, in Gaia. It is this chef who has influenced so many others, who started out as a musician and then went on to dedicate himself to the art of cooking, that his peers have chosen to receive the Special Cutipol Career 2021 Award from the Mesa Marcada Awards.

Miguel Castro e Silva was the most voted by the panel of 22 chefs, who, in their own name or in the name of their restaurant, have made the top 10 or won one of Mesa Marcada's special awards in the last five years. Miguel Castro e Silva succeeds Vítor Sobral, Joachim Koerper, and Dieter Koschina, winners of the previous editions.

Besides Miguel Castro e Silva, we also congratulate the other winners in various categories, João Rodrigues (Feitoria restaurant), O Velho Eurico, Comida Independente, Carlos Fernandes (Azor Hotel - Ponta Delgada), Nádia Desidério (Belcanto), Arkhe, Adega de São Nicolau, Vasco Coelho Santos, Ó Balcão, Lucas Azevedo, SEM, Farinhas Paulino Horta and Craveiral Farm Table.

Mesa Marcada blog post