The festival, which was introduced by the Regional Tourism Entity of Alentejo and Ribatejo, takes place in 12 different locations spread across both regions and will involve 17 restaurants and more than 50 chefs. According to José Santos, the president of tourism for Alentejo and Ribatejo, the festival is massively important as it puts in the spotlight those young chefs “who work every day to provide memorable experiences for tourists from all over the world.”


The aim of the event is not only to showcase the best of Alentejo’s and Ribatejo’s culinary, but also to enable the younger generations of chefs to get exposure by creating dishes made using local products. The food, which will be prepared by the main chefs present at the festival as Ana Moura, Filipe Ramalho, Miguel Laffan, David Jesus, Michelle Marques, among others, together with other guest cooks invited by them, will be served with wines from the regions.


José Santos, has told Lusa that the ‘Food Love Fest’ festival aims to “promote quality, innovation and gastronomic talent in Alentejo and Ribatejo”, adding that “We, as a tourism entity, have an obligation towards these chefs and we want to make their work known.”