Chef Renato Cunha
Renato Cunha is the mentor behind this project, which has garnered national and international recognition. Restaurante Ferrugem, in Portela, Vila Nova de Famalicão, has been awarded many awards, just as Renato – cook, oenophile, gourmet, university professor and creative mind – has been distinguished at home and further afield, perhaps because nonconformism and creativity are always triggers for success. The menu is small, yet flexible and dynamic, because the envisaged cuisine values genuine products, with Portuguese identity, seasonal and preferably sourced from sustainable agriculture. Dishes are thus served which clearly reflect Portuguese roots, while at the same time creative, innovative and of great technical prowess. The DNA of grandmother’s cooking or the taste memory of Portuguese flavours, especially those of the Minho region, are still there, but there is a greater rarefaction, creativity and scenic refinement. The menu also includes three tasting menus, which guests surrender to without question, putting their faith entirely in the chef’s experience.
Dishes are served which clearly reflect Portuguese roots, while at the same time creative, innovative and of great technical prowess.
Wine culture is also very present in the work of Renato Cunha and in the Restaurante Ferrugem. Indisputable proof of this includes the fact that in 2017, the restaurant was voted Restaurant of the Year by Vinho Grandes Escolhas magazine, or in 2012, when it won the Wine Sidewalk Restaurant of the Year category in Aníbal Coutinho’s selection, among other distinctions that attest to his passion for oenology too.
Restaurante Ferrugem does not follow fashions or trends, it simply creates new narratives of Portuguese cuisine, while always bearing gastronomy, Portugality and hospitality in mind. The hospitality of the Minho, which Renato practices so well, provides another reason for having been awarded the Municipal Medal of Merit.
