My last days in Portugal!

 This is Panos again writing from Portimão. After spending the last three months working at Numa, I can safely say I have grown a lot both as a chef but also as a person. Nuno is a great chef with a lot of knowledge and experience. He is also very good with students since he is a lecturer himself at the local cooking school. That made me feel more comfortable because this was my first time working in a fine-dining restaurant and I was a bit nervous at first.  

The first half of my placement was a bit quiet because February and March are off-season months and most places in Portimão hibernate until the tourist season kicks in. The other half of my placement was more fun and interesting because we were busier. To me that meant more food preparation, more cooking, more responsibilities and generally more opportunities to grow and develop myself.  

During my time here I learned to fillet and cook fish I didn´t even know existed. I learned how different fish have different cooking times and how the quality of meats can change their cooking time. Soon I realized that I should rely more on my senses and less on timers and I became more independent and confident on my skills. I also learned how to think outside the box and use the equipment that was available to make service easier and smoother. 

The kitchen is spacious and well-equipped with tools like sous-vide, vacuum chamber, Thermomix, stand mixers, bread ovens etc. I found it similar to the production kitchen in SETU and I was very happy with it because the previous kitchens I worked at were very small and I was half-expecting something similar to that. 

Our team was small but we all got along really well with each other and I felt very supported at work. On my days off, I was able to explore Portimão and nearby cities/towns. Despite the city´s small size, it has a lot to offer because it caters for a lot of tourists during the summer. There is a plethora of excursions available for purchase such as boat trips, safari trips, skydiving etc. There is also a big waterpark about ten minutes away from the city that is easily accessible by bus and train so I felt like I had lots of things to do on my days off. The beaches in Portimão are the nicest in the Algarve region and they are definitely worth a visit too!

As I am saying goodbye to Portugal, I think of how privileged I am to have done my work placement in such a beautiful country and that I will be coming back someday in the near future. In the meantime, I have my final year at the university to look forward to.

Signing off,

Panos