After a very intellectual and abstract winter, spring brought me a lot of grounding through work.

Once again I had the pleasure to partner up with my dear friend Sanda, aka Little Upside Down Cake, and for the first time with Lisa from Slow Escapes for a Food & Lifestyle Photography and Mindfulness retreat at Companhia das Culturas. We were blessed with the most gorgeous weather and the funniest guests from all over the world. Companhia das Culturas provided an inspiring setting for this retreat. Everywhere you looked you’d find harmonious natural textures and patterns, secluded corners, and inspiring light and shadow contrasts. I was in the kitchen most of the time so if you’d like to have a look on what happened you can find it here and here.

Another friend I was thrilled to work with was Maria, from Cabeça da Cabra Guesthouse. And to be fair the week I spent cooking there hardly felt like work at all. It was like cooking for friends, with surfing and napping breaks in between. Maria has her guest house open most of the year but only hosts two surf and yoga retreats: one in May and another in October. They’re very popular and sell out quickly. And rightly so. Her attention to detail combines grace and coolness in just the right amount, making her a superb hostess. She also has the collaboration of Lea and Tarik, from Love Ashtanga Yoga, and André, the owner of Costa Azul Surf, who’s responsible for the surfing classes and most important for motivating everyone to go in to the water and get better every time.

Sadly, I participated for the last time in the Regenerative Retreats held at Casa na Ferraria. It was a good goodbye nonetheless and I will never forget the wonderful moments I spent with all the inspiring Belgian ladies.

Once in a while it feels good to take a break from cooking meals around the clock and do another thing that I love which is recipe development and styling. I was lucky to be called for such an endeavor for a beautiful farm stay between Alcácer do Sal and Montemor-o-Novo called Cucumbi.

The goal was to come up with a vegetarian breakfast buffet, with a few vegan options, and a handful of light meals and juices that they could serve during the day, always taking in consideration local products and the rustic vibe of the place.

As if doing what I love wasn’t good enough, I’ve also been so lucky to have been doing it with and for incredible friendly people. The owners of Cucumbi, Catarina and Tozé were no exception. Right from day one they made me feel like part of their family which is why their hospitality business is surely going to be successful.