A new social and cultural experience has been created by local entrepreneur Joana Glória, who invites you into her kitchen for fun and connection.
Having happily munched on pasteis de nata for years, along with my morning cup of coffee, I was intrigued to learn how to make them and even more keen to pair them with port wine. All these mysteries were unveiled during a class at Lagos’ new innovative cooking academy, led by the dynamic Joana.
Joana has created a space where cooking and Portuguese culture come together in a delightfully fun, social atmosphere. Stepping inside Joana’s kitchen, or to give the full title, The Kitchen – Cooking Academy & Private Events, is a journey into her personal story of strong family matriarchs who influenced her and a vibe that recalls the family recipes passed through generations and moments spent with family enjoying delicious food. “The goal is for the guests to enjoy the experience of cooking, to learn more about Portuguese culture and most importantly, to have fun.”
Joana’s first influence was her grandmother, Ângela Marina, who managed a guest house in Lagos. It inspired Joana to graduate from the Portimão School of Management, Hospitality and Tourism with a degree in Hotel Management. While helping her grandmother, she also managed three other guest houses and holiday rentals around the town. This training instilled in Joana a love of meeting new people from around the world and a passion for using food as a social tool, enabling visitors to integrate and to inspire cultural interest in the town. This insight led her to create the ‘Eat at a Local’s’ platform, which connected tourists with locals serving Portuguese cuisine in their own homes.
‘Eat at a Local’s’ was a hit, and hosts spread throughout the country to Madeira, but sadly, Joana was forced to close the platform during the pandemic. She hopes to relaunch it in the future; however, the same concept now resonates through the bright, homely space in Lagos, which is proving a hit with tourists and locals alike. I joined the Pastel de Nata baking class, and, along with eight enthusiastic tourists, I donned my apron and took my place at the central island, feeling a bit like a MasterChef contestant.
The Kitchens motto, ‘this kitchen is made to connect’, was clearly in play as the mix of Brazilians, Canadians and British all became good friends and engaged in lively banter and stories of our hometowns and our own culinary traditions while rolling our pastry.
Joana is a charismatic and fun host. She breaks the ice by instructing us on how to make a white port and tonic cocktail (Portonic) before assigning different roles in the pastel preparation. She creates an informal and creative environment where conversation flows and delicious smells linger. However, I noticed that the event’s seeming casualness was underpinned by an organised system, with an assistant always on hand to clear away and wash up, so the work surfaces never stopped gleaming!
Under the watchful eye of Joana’s second grandmother, Maria de Lurdes, who is framed on the wall, half of us continually rolled and folded the pastry over a block of margarine to create the delicate pastry layers. Joana explained that she is constantly evolving and improving the experience. After initially using the traditional ingredient of butter, she realised it would be impossible to eat your creations on the same day, so she experimented with margarine for the puff pastry, which makes the process quicker.
While the other group worked on the custard, I was also interested to learn that Joana founded Lagos’ first digital nomad community and associated events, which have also stood her in good stead for developing The Kitchen’s programme of events and classes. Another experience includes a market tour and cataplana cooking class. This unique culinary experience combines shopping for fresh ingredients with mastering the preparation of cataplana, a traditional Portuguese seafood dish. Joana’s mother, Corinne Ferreira, is also a key ingredient in Joana’s success and a regular at The Kitchen, where she teaches a masterclass on bringing authentic Portuguese flavours to the table.
Joana explains, “We are committed to introducing dishes that may not commonly be found in restaurants. One of our goals is to shed light on lesser-known culinary treasures, giving them a new lease of life and sharing them with visitors.”
As our delicious treasures emerge from the oven, Joana offers us a taste of three different varieties of port to wash down our custard creations, which are mouth-wateringly warm and buttery. I am very surprised to find myself agreeing with Joana. Port and pastel are a winning combination.
The success of interactive spaces like The Kitchen reflects a broader evolution in Portugal’s tourism landscape. Today’s travellers, particularly millennials, are increasingly moving away from conventional mass tourism and traditional beach holidays, and are instead seeking out authentic, local experiences and crafts. Consequently, wine and food tourism has exploded into a booming industry across Portugal. Modern visitors are no longer satisfied with standard sightseeing; they seek unique, hands-on activities that foster a deeper connection to the region’s culture and lifestyle.
Not one to put her feet up, Joana completed Level 1 of the ESET course, an introduction to the world of wine; she will start Level 2 later this year. She hopes this will give her more knowledge to organise wine events to complement her new Wine & Dine Club, which happens twice a month with wine tasting and a cooking class from a Portuguese chef.
I reluctantly untie my apron with a warm glow from the port and Joana’s hospitality, and say farewell to my new cooking buddies. We all congratulate Joana on a fabulous experience and each other on having created some delicious pastries and experienced traditional Portuguese hospitality.
Main photo Joana Glória with her students
