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Brazilian-born, Ana Machado has logged an impressive number of cooking hours for her age and in very prestigious venues. In 1987 Ana wanted to expand her culinary horizons, so she left Brazil and started a trip that took several years. She worked in four countries in addition to her native South America, including England, Australia and Bermuda where she worked at The Waterloo House, a prestigious Relais & Chateaux Hotel.
She is a graduate of NY's Peter Kump's School of Culinary Arts; and studied nutrition at The Culinary Institute of America. She did her training rotations at the Rainbow Room and Bouley Restaurant, both in Manhattan, NY and with Anton Mosimann in London. She also worked at the Executive Dining Room at the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, before moving to California.
Ana's Lebanese heritage shows in her devotion to healthy Mediterranean cuisine, a skill she showcases at PortaBella Restaurant in downtown Carmel, CA.
Ana specializes in SPA Cuisine, meals that are nutritionally balanced, but do not interpret this to mean bland flavors and small portions. On the contrary, her sauces are deeply flavorful, rich-tasting and luxurious.
Although pleasing presentation is important in all good restaurants, it is perhaps even more so with Ana because she's also an artist.
"In Bermuda I worked full time both as an artist and as a chef," she says. "I have made my living as a painter off and on for years, even before I was cooking, and I'm sure that's why composition, texture and color are so important to me on a plate."
Her artistry shows well in the beautifully presented dishes, but she does
not go overboard. Ana's food is the visual equivalent of classical art.
Featured Chef |
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Ana Machado |
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