Óscar Gonçalves, a 44-year-old Chef from Bragança, developed a refined gastronomic streak from a very young age, as a result of the daily interaction with “dishes and pans” at his parents’ restaurant, ‘O Geadas’.
Chef Revelation 2018 by the magazine Vinhos e Michelin Star since 2019, the owner of the renowned G Pousada (which, in addition to Michelin Star, since 2016 has continuously received the Golden Fork, a Boa Cama Boa Mesa award) and the innovative Contradição | GastroBar (mentioned in the magazine Boa Cama Boa Mesa – Expresso) comes from Travanca – Vinhais. This is a Trás-os-Montes village, located in the Montesinho Natural Park, which reflects its pride in the region that saw it grow. Together with António Gonçalves, his brother, it was at this stage that he began to tread a path of excellence, driven by dreams and desires.
However, his academic motivations led him to study in Environmental Engineering from the University of Trás-Os-Montes and Alto Douro and also from the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança.
Naturally, his practice in restoration grew and international demand was also intensifying, providing distinctions in Portugal and the rest of the globe. In this way, the chef’s work has been a catalyst in the tourist and cultural promotion of the region, giving him visibility and recognition.
About the Michelin Star: “Our goal is to seek excellence every day, this recognition is fantastic, we couldn’t be happier, but what always moves us is the pride and pleasure of working well, in a territory mountain full of products of excellent quality and diversity of aromas and flavors”.
The premise of chef Óscar’s gastronomic spaces is, therefore, to offer the consumer an experience around the characteristic flavors of the Trás-os-Montes region, since there is a sui generis complicity between the Geadas brothers and producers from the Trás-os-Montes region – from producers of cheese, wines, masks, knives, honey, among others [which you can view in the series Bô e Nós Aqui, available on the G Pousada’s digital channels]. “If we find very high-quality solutions in our region, why should we look for these products elsewhere?”, he says.
Although he has a special taste for all the confections he makes, Óscar Gonçalves prefers to work with fish, seafood and, increasingly, vegetables.
Currently, Óscar is essentially committed to overcoming the adversities caused by the pandemic, in order to safeguard its gastronomic spaces. “With the pandemic still very present in our lives, the biggest project I could have is to work to maintain what I have.”