Octávio Freitas is a Madeiran chef who is proud to have contributed to raising the standard of Madeiran cuisine. This work was recognized with a Michelin star and, since then, he has received many invitations to participate in events outside Madeira. The chef brings a little bit of Madeira to everyone, through the fusion of local products and inspiration with the most up-to-date global techniques.
Now, Octávio Freitas is preparing for a global tour, where he will take the flavours of the Desarma restaurant to the four corners of the world. Until the end of the year, he will alternate between working in the kitchen of the restaurant he heads and attending events.
On Thursday, 26 June, at the invitation of the Association for the Economic Enhancement of the Azores, the chef will be at the launch of FOOD LAB 2025, an initiative that aims to position Azorean gastronomy through the support and training of various chefs, where Octávio Freitas will once again make his contribution. A note from the Mesa Food communications agency indicates that “this action dedicated to professionals in the Horeca channel will take place in the last months of this year”. In 2024, Octávio Freitas came into contact with Azorean products and “proposed techniques that he uses to enhance products and reposition flavors, and shared fish preservation techniques”. This year, the products he will choose will be a surprise.
On June 28th, he will be taking his wines to Garrafeira Imperial, in Lisbon, for another celebration of the island of Madeira, at the Vulcanic Wines event. On August 30th, he will head to Herdade da Malhadinha Nova, on a foray “into the deep Alentejo”. At the restaurant of the hotel, led by Chef Joachim Koerper, Octávio Freitas will showcase some of the flavors that characterise Desarma’s menu.
The next stop is Expo 2025 Osaka, with events on September 12th and 14th. The Portuguese Pavilion will be the stage for the presentation of flavors and aromas. In addition to promoting Madeira, Japan will be an opportunity, according to the Mesa Food Agency, “to have a different perspective on the gastronomy of such a distant, yet still insular place, while also showcasing the flavours that most excite him and represent his cuisine”. Also in September, on the 29th, the Madeiran chef takes part in a private event for Wine Concept, which distributes Octávio Freitas wines.
To end a busy summer, Octávio Freitas accepted the invitation from his “lifelong and professional friend Pedro Mendes, to go to Bucharest”. On 16 October, at the new Boulevard 73 restaurant at the Corinthia Bucharest Hotel, there will be a four-course dinner, which will “bring Madeira and Desarma to Bucharest for the first time. A city in full gastronomic expansion, where this exchange of flavors seems appropriate and, once again, win over the most demanding palates”.
