"You have to believe, and do everything you can to get there"

“YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE, AND DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO GET THERE”

 

Born in Gardanne, France, Benoît Sinthon has had an impressive career in the world of haute cuisine. His passion for cooking dates back to his childhood, to the good aromas and flavours that surrounded him growing up. In 1994, he moved to the island of Madeira out of love, and ended up finding what he came to call home. He joined the Il Gallo d'Oro team in 2004 and today, 20 years later, he is still here.
Discover the story of Chef Benoît Sinthon. ..

 

How did this love for gastronomy come about?
For me, without a doubt it was through family. Both my grandmother, my mother and my uncle, who had a restaurant, cooked very well – so, what with the holidays and the weekends I spent there, I got used to having good smells at home and good food on the table.

At the age of 17, he completed his Bachelor's degree in Cooking at the professional hospitality school in Gap, in the French Alps. Can you tell us a little about your journey from that moment on?
The school gave me a very good foundation to start my career. The course went well, I liked the school and I was with a very good group. It was a mix of good atmosphere and discipline in the kitchen with the teachers. From then on, I kept that passion that led me to want to go to renowned restaurants to learn from the best. Consequently, I always worked in restaurants that had a Michelin star, or were working towards it, which later helped me [at Il Gallo d'Oro] to win the star, as I already knew the ‘recipe’.

Haute cuisine is something that has great prestige all over the world, but especially in France. What made you move to Portugal and specifically to Madeira?
A beautiful meeting with my [now] wife Lara, who is from Madeira and was living at the time in France. She worked on the reception at a hotel where I worked, and that's when we met, in 1993. Afterwards, we worked the entire contract together there in France. The idea was to stay there, but for family reasons she ended up having to return to Madeira, and I said ‘Look, I'm going on vacation with you. I'll take some CVs and, if I have the opportunity to stay, I'll stay; if not, I'll see. What I know is that I want to be with you and, whether it’s in Madeira or France, we’ll find a way to be together’.

It's a great way to prove your love, and it couldn't have been easy moving to such a different place.
Yes, I came from a place that had great advantages. There were many very good restaurants within an hour and a half of my house, and when I say ‘many’ there were around 30 Michelin restaurants. But out of love, and as we were so good together, I came to Madeira and ended up finding work – I spent 2 months at Quinta da Bela Vista, and soon after I went to Reid's Palace, and from Reid's I returned to France, and from France I went to the Savoy…

So you ended up returning to France?
Yes, it's a funny story. When I was working at Reid's Palace, one of the best chefs in the world, Jean-Michel Lorain (who happened to be French), came to cook with us for a week. As the chef was Austrian and didn't speak French, he ended up leaving me in charge of the event with the chef. At the time I thought ‘Wow, who’s coming?’, and it turned out to be a chef I had already left my CV with, but I never got a response… At the end of the week, he came to me and said ‘Benoît, if you want to work for me I’ll find you a job with me there [in France]’. As I was still interested in working with him, I accepted, but only if he also found a job for my wife. And so we went, the two of us, and worked with him for two years in France, in one of the best restaurants in the country and the world, with 3 Michelin stars. It was an amazing experience.

What made you return to Madeira?
My wife, Lara, and I started thinking about where we would like to live. I had really worn myself out in that restaurant. I went in weighing 81kg and left weighing 69kg due to the stress, the fatigue and the lack of time off. Despite everything, when I look at my career to date, I have no regrets. And I know that without having gone through this experience I wouldn't be the person I am today. It's part of the journey. Although it was tough, physically and mentally, it was also amazing. I loved it, but there also came a time when both Lara and I decided to leave, to be able to remember how good it was. It leaves its mark, but it also helps to deal with the stress and pressure of everyday life. It was a great school !
After that, I returned to the island and went to the Savoy. It was a very good experience because I went directly as a sous chef, and it was well organised. I was in charge of the hotel's gourmet restaurant, which at the time was called Flor de Lis, but I had to spend a lot of time in the general kitchen to supervise, help and be the chef's right-hand man. The chef was a very organised person, and I learned a lot in terms of how to lead a team.
I then worked for Casa Velha do Palheiro for five years, until the director, who would later become the manager at The Cliff Bay, contacted me because they needed a new chef [at Cliff]. At the time, I said ‘This interests me, because in addition to being a large and prestigious hotel, there is Il Gallo d'Oro, which I think could win a Michelin star’. I saw Il Gallo d'Oro as a restaurant with a lot of potential, and I always said that I would be the first chef to win a star in Madeira, to which they replied ‘Benoît, you really are French’ (he laughs).

What did it feel like when Il Gallo d'Oro won its first star in 2008?
We had a great party! I went on a trip with the restaurant's manager and head waiter to celebrate and, at the same time, for the head waiter to understand what haute cuisine was. During the trip, as soon as we arrived at the airport, the Diário de Notícias newspaper was already there with pages about Il Gallo d'Oro. The impact was incredible, and it undoubtedly changed many people’s attitudes. Suddenly the spotlight was on Il Gallo d'Oro, something that no-one had expected. It was really cool, and I think everyone came together and realised the importance of this star, and that's it... we got to where we are today.

And the second star, how did it feel?
The first will always be special. It’s the one when you say ‘wow!’. Now Madeira had its star, and we were able to continue working, as we knew that Michelin was really coming here to evaluate us. From the first, as well as wanting to keep it, we were working towards, maybe one day, winning a second. When the second one came, it was magical. It was amazing. In Portugal, with a Michelin star, it means you are one of the 30 best restaurants in the country. Suddenly, when we won the second star, we were in the top four. Although there are more of them today in Portugal, it’s still something very restricted and special.

Do you think your way of cooking changed when you came from France to Madeira?
Yes, in terms of not using the same ingredients. My curiosity was immediately to find out which were the best products on the island – I made my selection, went around the whole island, from North to South, talking to farmers, going to local parishes, meeting the man who grinds corn in São Jorge, learning how to make couscous in São Vicente, and getting to know small producers.
Later, they asked me what I wanted at PortoBay, and I already knew what my answer would be: a vegetable garden. Why? To get vegetables with the freshness that, at the time, did not exist at Il Gallo d'Oro; which, for that reason, it was necessary to import. But the truth is, it didn't make sense to import for sustainability reasons. This happened in 2015/2016, before we got our second star, and I knew that a vegetable garden would also help us achieve that goal. We ended up winning the star in 2017, which helped to give credibility to the entire concept of the kitchen garden.

In the 2022 edition, Il Gallo d'Oro was awarded the Green Star from the Michelin Guide, and at the time became one of only two restaurants in Portugal with this distinction. This star rewards sustainable acts in gastronomy – what factors do you think are essential to reach this level and become a positive example in terms of sustainability?
We all know what the planet is like today – we have all been guilty of this for many years now. It is important for us all to be responsible in this area: whether through recycling, using seasonal vegetables and fish, not importing whatever we want... If we are responsible, in everything and anything, there will be less consumption. And what’s more, it’s also essential for our health.
At a time when everyone is talking about sustainability, I think the creation of the Estrela Verde was very important. This star made all chefs start thinking about how they could earn it – at a customer level, and beyond. It allows us to say that we are responsible chefs. If I'm in Madeira, I'll work with scabbardfish, mackerel, and all the fish that exist on the island, instead of buying fish from mainland Portugal, which comes by plane and will never be as fresh as the fish here. Another essential thing is the kitchen garden: by using vegetables from the garden instead of importing them, we can help the planet. This all seems like a drop in the ocean, but if everyone does it, it makes all the difference.
With the pandemic, PortoBay ended up closing, and I was stuck doing nothing. I was at home feeling like I was going crazy, so I started riding my motorbike, going for a ride, but I felt like I had to do something else. I ended up calling photographer Henrique Seruca and said ‘Look, Henrique, the gardener is saying that we have a lot of vegetables in the garden – do you know what we’re going to do? Come on, I feel like cooking. Let's creates some dishes with whatever ingredients we have. And we’re going to promote it on YouTube’. He came along with me, and we ended up doing some filming. If there was a lot of cauliflower, I would make a cauliflower dish. While I was publishing the videos on YouTube, RTP Madeira found out, and they called me to suggest using my videos for one of their programmes. During the pandemic, they ended up making about 15 programmes about me cooking in the garden. I also published on my Instagram page, and the Michelin Guide used to like my posts. When I arrived at the Gala, one of my chef friends told me I was going to get a Green Star. I went in to see the stage, and they were showing what the chefs did during the pandemic – and videos of me cooking appeared. Half an hour later, the event began, and ‘Il Gallo d'Oro, Benoît Sinthon, Green Star’ appeared on the screen. Wow! I looked at our director, António Pais, who was with me, and we hugged, we were super happy. To this day, we are the only restaurant in the country with two Michelin stars to win the Green Star. It’s fantastic, and it really adds value to our garden.

These distinctions are the result of a lot of work, effort and dedication, not only on the part of the Chef, but by all the members of the restaurant team. How does your team, from the cooks to the dining room staff, impact your work?
They have a huge, fundamental impact. If you are talking about a project like Il Gallo d'Oro, I can't do anything alone. I have to be involved with a team – mostly chosen by me. When it comes to the dining room, it is important that there is someone who understands the project and the responsibility of having two Michelin stars; someone who is ready to roll up their sleeves every day. At Il Gallo d'Oro, we have to be perfect every day. And to be perfect, we need a well-trained team; they are the ones in front of the customer every day. They have to know the menus, the products, the dishes… the customer can ask a question at any time, and we have to know how to answer. We can’t say ‘I don’t know’. That's why we have to have the best chef possible, the best sommelier possible, the best cooks possible and the best hostess possible. Everyone has to do a lot of research at home. I am a mentor; but if I don't have a team to accompany me on a day-to-day basis, I can't do anything. Every day we have a briefing... Nobody imagines, I guess, what the work of the employees at Il Gallo d'Oro involves, not to mention all our other restaurants. There must always be united, well-organised teams that really enjoy what they do.

In addition to Il Gallo d'Oro, you lead the PortoBay Gastronomic Academy – what has this journey been like and what are the biggest challenges of a project like this?
The Academy is a project that arose from a need to attract staff (in the restaurant sector), people we know can get very involved in projects and we believe can grow with us, and people we give a lot of training to. They spend time with us at The Cliff Bay, at Il Gallo d'Oro, Avista, in the bakery, and many other places, with the aim of developing and understanding PortoBay's gastronomic identity, so that later they can become our chefs. This is what happened with Afonso at the Horta, João Luz at Avista, Rui Pinto at Avista Asia, Élio and Brígido at the Rose Garden, António Nascimento at Porto Santa Maria, Jorge Faria at Il Gallo d'Oro, Pedro Spínola at PortoBay Flores, Irene at Pastry Academy, Mauro at Bistrô4… they all worked with me for many years, until they were ready to lead or sub-lead one of our projects. In the case of Il Basilico, for example, it only existed on the island of Madeira – after the creation of the Academy, we were able to take the concept and our identity abroad through our ambassadors, that is, the cooks who worked with us at both Vila Porto Mare and The Cliff Bay.

You have been here for many years and I believe you have many stories to tell. What has that journey been like to date? If you had to choose one memorable moment from these last 20 years, what would it be?
The year 2004 was when I arrived at The Cliff Bay, and 2006 was the year of the first award that made me believe we were on the right path. I had only been there for two years, and Il Gallo d'Oro was awarded restaurant of the year – from then on, it just gave me a greater desire to work and go further. In 2008, we won our first star. Then, in 2017 the second. In 2022, it was the Green Star.
The pandemic made a real impression on me, as it was something unexpected. I didn't let it get me down, and we immediately started cooking for the future, when the restaurant reopened. As our hotels were closed, we took the opportunity to renovate Il Gallo d'Oro. I think PortoBay reacted very well to the pandemic – we were scared, but there was an attitude of ‘we will improve’. Then, the opening of Avista in 2019 was unforgettable for me. The opening of the Horta, in 2023, was also very special. And now, when our sommelier, Leonel Nunes, won best Sommelier of the Year at the Michelin Gala, I was almost crying with him! Seriously. It's amazing, and something I want to highlight is that I have the great fortune of working with people like Leonel and André Pinto, our room manager, who is an incredible person, very hard-working and passionate. With the restaurant concept, there has to be discipline, rigour and training. It’s thanks to these factors that the dining room has also been given awards – we’ve been Best Sommelier, we’ve been Best Wine Cellar of the Year, we’ve been Best Wine Service... and that is the result of André and Leonel's work, it’s not mine.

At Il Gallo d'Oro, local Madeiran products are extremely prized. In your free time, which typical Madeiran dish do you enjoy most?
The kebab, whether it’s at home or in a restaurant. I also love scabbardfish, onion sauce, fish stew, and I love making fish in the oven at home.

At home, do you cook as freely as you do at work?
At the weekend yes, during the week no. At the weekends I usually cook for my wife and my family, even it’s only for lunch or dinner. It's always something simple, but tasty. When we're at the table, it's to have a good time, open a good bottle of wine, talk to family... with my wife, with my daughters.

If you could give one piece of advice to all those who aspire to follow in your footsteps and work in haute cuisine, what would you tell them?
Believe in yourself, and go in search of your dream. I think it's important, because only you know how much you are capable of investing, in terms of effort and beyond. You have to believe in yourself, and do everything you can to get there.