That morning, I first went to the south shore to bid farewell to my horses. I then headed to Ferreira to greet my colleagues, make sure that the beehives on the roof were in safe hands, and to pick up some fresh sardine fillets for dinner, that had arrived by air the same day. I spent my last night in Montreal surrounded by family members, all gathered for a delicious Portuguese feast at my father’s, Carlos Ferreira, founder of Groupe Ferreira, now comprising four restaurants in Montreal.
My father had invited all our family members to this reunion, since the following day was marking the official beginning of the tasteful adventure that Portugal Gourmand turned out to be. The aim of that trip, that would then turn into a web series, was to go back to my origins as well as to the roots of all the quality ingredients that made the reputation of the portuguese gastronomy. My love for natural and quality ingredients is equalled only by the passion of their producers. Therefore, I had to go meet these visionaries that keep on growing and harvesting the best possible ingredients, constituing the foundation of the meals we serve.
That night, Ferreira’s chef João Dias and my dad created a true Portuguese feast to give me a preview of the culinary delicacies I was about to encounter on the other side of the ocean. On the menu: fresh grilled sardine fillets, tomato and fresh basil salad, rack of lamb, cheese platter and much more. Needless to say that everything was served with F olive oil and Sal Marim Fleur de Sel. Sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins (most of them are working at the restaurant), and even my grandmother came over to share this moment and to give me their blessing before my departure towards the country of their forebears. An unforgettable night, that set the pace for my trip.