Personal Info
- Country of residence: Brazil
Information
Milad Alexandre Mack Atala is a Brazilian chef and former DJ who runs the restaurant D.O.M. in São Paulo. He works by transforming classic, traditional Brazilian dishes by adopting the French and Italian cuisine's techniques and, at the same time, using indigeous Brazilian ingredients. In 2007, D.O.M - his restaurant - was ranked 40 in the list of the best restaurants in the world by the Restaurant Magazine.
Atala was born in the neighborhood of Mooca in São Paulo, from a middle-class family of Palestinian origin. His father, Milad Atala, was an employee of a rubber factory. And his mother Otavia Mack Da Silva was to him an example to follow, He always said he loved the cuisine of her mother. Atala was raised in the city of São Bernardo do Campo. At the age of 14, he left his family home and went to live in São Paulo, where he worked as a DJ in the night club Rose Bom Bom.
When he was 18, he went on a backpacking trip to Europe. He first worked as a wall painter in Belgium. Following a friend's suggestion, he enrolled himself in a catering college. After his graduation, he has worked in restaurants in Belgium, France and Italy, where he has shaped his gastronomic skills besides learning to speak English, French and Italian.
In 1999, he opened the restaurant D.O.M.
Atala hosts a television show on Brazilian TV channel GNT.
Source
Achievements and Awards
- In 1999, Atala opened the restaurant D.O.M.
- Atala hosts a television show on Brazilian TV channel GNT.
- He has participated in numerous events for the Ritz-Carlton and presented at gastronomical conferences, including Alimentaria and Madrid Fusion. He has appeared on Mesa pra Dois, and recently published Alex Atala: Por uma Gastronomia Brasileira (Alex Atala – For a Brazilian Gastronomy), a two volume cookbook of recipes and documentary photographs featuring indigenous Brazilian ingredients.
Books:
"Por uma Gastronomia Brasileira" - Alex Atala - Editora Bei, 2003
"Com Unhas, Dentes & Cuca" - Alex Atala - Editora Senac, 2008
"Escoffianas Brasileiras" - Alex Atala - Editora Larousse Brasil, 2008
- Years in active
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