Last one born on Pico

Azores Wine Company Team

Dramatic coastline, exceptional beauty and lots of black rock forms the volcanic island of Pico. A very small island within the nine, making up the archipelago of the Azores in the mid-Atlantic. A distinctive gift from Mother Nature gives the islanders the will and determination to thrive in some challenging odds. Mount Pico has not erupted in three hundred years but it has coated the island with deep black biscoitos and lajidos from lava flows. Sometimes there are some places that have to be seen and experienced to fully understand. I was thrilled to head to Pico last October to “taste” it for myself.

Besides its magical peak, the highest mountain (7,720 feet) in all of Portugal, it is known as the wine island. Actually, some say Wine, Whales, and Windmills. But it is the wines that are thriving today. You have to understand that the vines each have their own “clos”… vineyards surrounded by walls; coming from the French word meaning enclosure.  Originally built to protect the grapes from theft, but found that it also provided a benefit of microclimate. On Pico the islanders call them “currais” as each vine is surrounded by 4x4 biscoitos walls to protect them from Atlantic winds and salt spray. From above it looks like a vast honeycomb.

A not to be missed is a stay or at least a visit to Azores Wine Company. Wine making on the small island has a history of men coming together to make their wine cooperatively, groups of neighbors and friends. It is evident today in the small garage like structures which are now used as gathering “social clubs”. Where the owners would invite their friends and families over to drink wine, eat meals, and sometimes sleep if they didn’t feel like going home.

And so when the partners in the Azores Wine Company set out to create their winery on the island of Pico, they followed that tradition, which was established centuries ago, almost as soon as the Portuguese discovered the previously uninhabited islands. Theirs would be a winery and then some, with rooms for overnight stays, a long table for meals shared between friends and a welcoming tasting room.    After enjoying an amazing tasting of both local dishes combined with their wines….I had to meet the chef. The lovely Daniela Silva Dutra proudly showed her creative skills and personality, and I had to find out more of her story, especially as she was born on Pico. My interview weaves a story.

1.    Where are you from?

I was proudly born and raised on Pico Island. Nowadays, all babies are born on Faial Island because there is no maternity hospital on Pico but, due to my determination from an early age and some luck, I was one of the last babies to be born on this very special island. I lived my entire childhood in the area of Crisco Velha ( World Heritage Site) with my parents, my two older sisters and my grandmother and the vineyards have always been my backyard.

2.    What is your culinary background besides your grandmother's influence?

Initially I wanted to drop out of school, but that was not an option for my parents. So I opted for a practical course where I didn't have to sit in a room all day. Like this, when I turned 15 I moved to São Miguel Island to take a cooking and pastry course for 3 years. I always had my parents support regardless of the size or difficulty that my dreams and ambitions  might appear. I studied at EFTAZORES and during those 3 busy and crazy years I met a lot a people that inspired me, lots of chefs from different countries and that was when and where I found my passion: pastry and baking.

3.       Is there a chef or cuisine that inspires you

Every Sunday, my family and I we try to have family meals and bread is always the first thing that goes to the table and it stays there until the very end even after dessert. I remember being little and listening to my grandmother’s stories about her childhood when sometimes there was not enough food for everybody. But a piece of bread was enough to distract hunger for a while and make the youngest smile. My grandmother showed me countless times how to make bread but mine could and would never taste like hers.

Besides my grandmother, the chef that inspired me the most and keeps inspiring me is Chef Mitch Stamm, retired Executive Director of the Bread Bakers Guild of America, was an Associate Instructor at the International Baking & Pastry Institute at Johnson & Wales University for 17 years. EFTAZORES used to have Training Protocols with Johnson & Wales University and while I was studying there, I had the privilege of meeting Chef Mitch. His genuine, honest and authentic work got my entire attention. The love and patience he put into every dough he made. I was delighted with the infinite possibilities of results of mixing the same simple ingredients but in different quantities: flour, salt, yeast and water. For me it looked like a true miracle and I wanted to learn how to do it and perform it for the rest of my life. I’m still learning, every day.

4. What brought you to the Azores Wine Company?

After EFTAZORES, I stayed in São Miguel Island for 3 more years working as a pastry chef here and there and in 2014 I moved to Luanda, Angola. I stayed there for 4 years always working as a pastry chef. In 2018 I decided it was time for another adventure and I packed my things and flew to the USA (Palm Beach Gardens) to work in Country Clubs as a Line Cook (Ballenisles Country Club from 2018 to 2019 and Admirals Cove Country Club from 2019-2020). At the beginning I was afraid of going back to the kitchen because my entire background had been in pastry and baking, but I think cooking It's like riding a bike; we never forget how to do it. During those 2 years I could practice and improve all the skills I had learned while in school and it provided me a whole new range of ideas. Working and living abroad for so many years made me look at my culture from a different perspective and cooking my grandmother’s recipes while I was far from home -- it was the best way to feel some comfort. But even using the right ingredients and following the recipe scrupulously, nothing tastes like home. Then, Covid happened and I had to come back home because I was in the USA with a seasonal working visa and nobody knew how long it would take for everything go back to normal. So, I came back home, returned to pastry for about a year and then I got a message on social media from the previous EFTAZORES Principal, Filipe Rocha, asking if was still in the USA or if I was back on the island because they (him and António Maçanita - our Winemaker and my previous wine pairing teacher back in 2010) had this new project on Pico Island and they wanted to show it to me and maybe make me an offer. I guess I must have done something right while I was at school. I’ve been around since 3rd March of 2022 doing a little bit of everything but whenever I’m in the kitchen is when I smile the most, they say. I accepted the offer because this project is genuine, its the perfect combination between tradition and contemporary not only when it comes to the architecture but also with regard to the aromas, flavors and procedures carried out both in the production of wines and in the preparation of the Tasting Menus. We want to give the local product of excellence the due and respectful finish it deserves being it fish, meat or grapes.

5.       What dish would you always cook for your Mother

I think the predictable and obvious answer is bread but If I had to choose something else it would be Salted Conger fish with Raw Sauce (in Portuguese Peixe Congro Salgado com Molho Cru). It’s her favorite! Many years ago when my mom was little, Conger fish was eaten only by wealthy families because it was very expensive. My grandfather was just a farmer and my grandmother used to stay home and take care of the children so my mom would only eat this dish once maybe twice a year. Nowadays, salted conger fish it’s not easy to find because it’s no longer appreciated around but whenever my mom finds it she always gets it. It brings her so many good memories and cooking it’s all about that!

6.Two favorite local dishes that you go back to time and again?

It’s hard to pick only two but nothing compares to Fried Mostella (white hake fish) with boiled potatoes and pickled sea perrexil or Fried Black pudding with boiled sweet potatoes.

7. Three local ingredients you source on Pico?

            My three favorite are:

- Catmint (in Portuguese Nêveda): I always get it from my backyard or my mother’s backyard. They don’t sell it at the store. Perfect to infuse, in a Crème Brûllée, for example 😉

- Cheese: Mistério, Império, São João, Alfredo… doesn’t matter the producer or the brand, all of them are amazing!

- Butter: the best butter is Rainha do Pico from Cooperativa Leite Montanha. Creamy, salty, strong yellow color… a delight!

8. Do you go out fishing?

I used to. Not anymore. I wish my day had more than 24 hours.

9. On a day off my favorite thing to do is_____________

Just stay home, enjoy a good meal, read a good book and relax as much as possible.

10. What's your guilty pleasure food?

Banana and São Jorge Cheese Sandwich in a “papo-seco” bread. The spicy flavor of the cheese (similar to the Italian parmesan) and the sweetness and creaminess of the banana… It’s like having Romeo and Juliette dancing in my mouth.

And, of course, pizza! Who doesn’t like pizza?!

Don’t Miss:

Azores Wine Company

Rua do Poço Velho, 34, Bandeiras

9950-054 Madalena, Ilha do Pico Açores