About the chef Duarte Gonçalves
In 2007, he decided to leave his job as an architectural designer to travel across Europe. Inspired by the vision of a better world, his dream was to be deeply connected to the Earth and live in harmony with all beings on this planet.
During his travels, he came across an ecological and spiritual community in the heart of the Serra do Açor—the Awakened Life Project. It was there that he learned and took his first steps into raw food nutrition.
Six years later, he founded the Alimento Desperto (Awakened Food) project, and in 2018, he opened one of Lisbon’s first raw vegan restaurants.
Throughout these years, he have had many opportunities to share his work through workshops across the country, in restaurants, at community events, and as a private chef. He have also featured in television segments on RTP, SIC Mulher, and Porto Canal, and was a guest speaker at the international online congress “Alimento Vivo” (Living Food).
His cuisine
Food is a highlight of this experience, and for this retreat, Duarte invites you to discover the Alimento Desperto concept. His cuisine is entirely plant-based and naturally gluten-free, focusing on whole, fresh, and activated ingredients.
The menu is a thoughtful balance between the vitality of raw food and the warmth of dishes cooked at low temperatures to preserve their maximum nutritional and enzymatic potential. Inspired by the rich products of Madeira and international influences, everything is prepared from scratch to be delicious and indulgent while remaining kind to your body.
The goal is to nurture your gut microbiome and provide the steady, clean energy needed to fuel your yoga practice and sustain your well-being throughout the day.
This post is also available in: German
