Joana Abreu Gonçalves

From designing dream houses to building perfect desserts goes a long way. Joana Gonçalves took this path and (spoiler alert!) succeded! In 2012 the architect created the In the Mood for Sweets blog, which triggered changing her profession. She interned with the Belgian chocolate maker Jean-Philippe Darcis and worked at The Cliff Bay in Madeira with Benoit Sinthon. After several internships in many other famous cuisines, she ended up as the Pastry Chef at Eleven and then at Bon Bon, Quorum and sous-chef at Fifty Seconds by Martin Berasategui. In 2019 the island-born Chef returned to Madeira where, a year earlier, she launched a project for artisanal ice cream made with local fruit, FRIIC – Fruit Island Icecream. In addition to that, the Chef made the grand opening of Les Suites at The Cliff Bay. In 2020 the pandemic brought her the idea for a new project Lá Fora Picnic.