José Avillez

José de Avillez Burnay Ereira (Lisbon, 24 October 1979), better known as José Avillez, is a Portuguese chef and restaurateur. He is one of the most renowned chefs in Portugal. In 2012, José Avillez opened the fully renovated “Belcanto” restaurant, which received a Michelin star in that same year. In 2014, “Belcanto” earned its second Michelin star, and, in 2015, it was considered one of the best restaurants in the world by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. He currently owns six restaurants, five in Lisbon and one in Oporto. His cooking style, contemporary and of Portuguese inspiration, has earned him several national and international recognitions, including “Chef of the Year,” in 2015, awarded by “WINE” magazine.

Son of José Burnay Nunes Ereira (Cascais, 7 November 1950) and his wife, Maria de Fátima Miranda de Avillez (Cascais, 13 October 1952). Brother of Teresa de Avillez Burnay Ereira (Lisbon, 2 April 1978). He is married to Sofia Melo de Castro Ulrich (2 May 1975), daughter of Fernando Ulrich.

José Avillez graduated in Business Communication at the Instituto Superior de Comunicação Empresarial (ISCEM), with a thesis on the image and identity of Portuguese gastronomy. He worked with José Bento dos Santos, Portugal’s most eminent gastronome, and took private study lessons with Maria de Lourdes Modesto, the “mother” of Portuguese traditional cooking. He began his career at the Fortaleza do Guincho restaurant, in Cascais. After that, he applied for internships in France, with Alain Ducasse and Éric Fréchon, which he completed. In 2006, he went to El Bulli for a traineeship, where he made part of the Creativity Department. That period with Ferran Adrià was a career-changing moment.

From 2008 to 2011, he was executive chef at «Restaurante Tavares», where, in 2010, he won his first Michelin star.

Restaurants

In 2007 he opened a take-away, in Cascais, still operating today.

In September 2011 he opened a new restaurant, «Cantinho do Avillez», at Chiado, in Lisbon.

In January 2012 he launched “Belcanto,” a Portuguese haute-cuisine restaurant.

In March 2013, he opened “Pizzaria Lisboa.” In that same year, in September he launched “Café Lisboa,” at Largo de São Carlos.

In March 2014, he opened the bar and restaurant “Mini Bar,” at São Luiz Theatre, in Lisbon. In September that same year, he launched another “Cantinho do Avillez”, this time in Oporto.

In August 2015, he opened «Bairro do Avillez», at Chiado, in Lisbon, with three different concepts: «Mercearia» (grocery store), «Taberna» (tavern) and «Páteo» (patio).

Awards and recognitions

2016

Belcanto received the “Best International Restaurant” award by Condé Nast Traveller International.

Belcanto reached the 78th position in “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list.

The “Boa Cama Boa Mesa” guide (“Expresso” newspaper) awarded Belcanto the “Gold Fork.”

The prestigious gastronomic blog “Mesa Marcada” gave José Avillez the “2015 Chef of the Year” prize and awarded Belcanto the “2015 Restaurant of the Year” recognition.

Belcanto received the “Gastronomic Restaurant of 2015” award, given by “WINE” magazine.

2015

Belcanto was elected one of the best 100 restaurants in the world, achieving 91st place in the prestigious “The World's 50 Best Restaurants” list.

The 2015 Repsol Guide gave Belcanto “3 Soles Repsol”, and Mini Bar and Cantinho do Avillez (Lisbon and Oporto) received “1 Sole Repsol”.

José Avillez was awarded the prize “Gastronomia David Lopes Ramos 2014” by “Revista de Vinhos” magazine.

José Avillez was given the “Chef of the Year” award by “WINE” magazine.

The “Boa Cama Boa Mesa” guide (“Expresso” newspaper) awarded Belcanto the “Gold Fork.”

2014

Belcanto was awarded its second Michelin star.

The 2014 Repsol Guide gave Belcanto “3 Soles Repsol”.

The “Boa Cama Boa Mesa” guide (“Expresso” newspaper) awarded Belcanto the “Gold Fork”.

The prestigious gastronomic blog “Mesa Marcada” gave José Avillez the “2013 Chef of the Year” prize and awarded Belcanto the “2013 Restaurant of the Year” recognition.

2013

The “Boa Cama Boa Mesa” guide (“Expresso” newspaper) awarded José Avillez the “Chef of the Year” prize.

The “Boa Cama Boa Mesa” guide (“Expresso” newspaper) awarded Belcanto the “Platinum Fork,” the highest honour given by this guide.

Belcanto was nominated for the first annual Foodie Top 100 Restaurants: Europe, UK & Asia Pacific list.

2012

Belcanto was awarded a Michelin star.

Television, Radio and Press

Currently, José Avillez hosts the television show “Combinações ImProváveis” (“Improbabilicious”), aired by SIC Mulher channel. In prior years, he presented three seasons of the show “JA ao Lume,” also aired by SIC Mulher.

Since 2014, he’s been hosting a morning radio show at “Manhãs da Rádio Comercial” , titled “O Chef Sou Eu” (I’m the Chef”). From Monday to Friday, along with the other show hosts, he suggests recipes, shares cooking tips and talks about gastronomy related fun facts.

He’s a frequent guest on television and radio shows, and, since 2014, he’s the author of a weekly recipe for “Revista E”, a magazine that’s part of “Expresso” newspaper.

Books

In 2006 José Avillez launched his first book “Um Chef em Sua Casa” (“A Chef in Your Home”), one of the bestselling books that year in Portugal, with over 15 000 copies sold, also published in Brazil.

In 2011 he published “Petiscar com Estilo” (“Snacking in Style”), a trilingual edition that gathers Portuguese typical appetizers. That same year, he was a part of the book “A Boy After the Sea 2,” by Kevin Snook, alongside Heston Blumenthal, Thomas Keller, and Daniel Boulu.

In 2013, José Avillez went back to writing with “Cantinho do Avillez – The Recipes,” a bilingual edition, a book in which he shares some of the most successful recipes of this restaurant.

In 2015 he published, along with “Expresso” newspaper, the book “Receitas Leves” (“Light Recipes”).

In 2016, he published the book “Combinações ImProváveis,” a bilingual edition, which brings together the recipes from the TV show.

Besides his own books, José Avillez also participated in several publications, such as the book “COCO,” by chef Ferran Adrià, or “Where The Chef’s Eat,” by food critic Joe Warwick.