“Transmontano de Gema” by birth, it was in Aveiro that he grew up and spent most of his life, always accompanied by the sea.

It was here that he graduated in Materials Engineering, though life soon challenged him towards different paths.

He headed to the “Lands of Her Majesty” and confirmed his passion for gastronomy: in 2013 he earned his Cordon Bleu diploma. In London, over the course of five years, he lived and cooked his vocation in restaurants such as The Ivy and A Taberna do Mercado by Nuno Mendes, where he met António Galapito (Prado) and Bruno Caseiro (Cavalariça), with whom he learned how to “play with fire” without getting burned. He returned to Portugal alongside António Galapito and his team to open the restaurant Prado. There, over the course of two years, he gathered one of the richest experiences of his life. Following this came a trio with Marta Caldeirão and André Coelho (Âmago) at the restaurant Local, an intimate experience whose concept distanced itself from the traditional and translated into yet another unique professional learning experience.

In 2020, he joined Miguel Diniz in the pop-up grill project “Vifanas”, which became a cult favourite at gastronomic festivals and private events. It was during the pop-up created alongside João Baião and Miguel Diniz at Musa da Bica that the invitation arose to head north and launch the brewery’s project in the Invicta City. During an atypical time marked by the pandemic, and the consequent impossibility of opening “Musa” as originally planned, he embarked on numerous challenging projects as a solo private chef, but also alongside João Baião, João Lume Augusto and Miguel Diniz.

At the right moment, and together with Ana Leão and João Baião, he finally opened Musa das Virtudes, a project that surprised and won over the city of Porto.

In 2022, he began preparing the Mercantel project in the heart of Aveiro, inspired by his personal and professional experience in the world of gastronomy, and aligned with an inclusive and elevating vision of regional products, from meat to seafood, fish and seaweed. Mercantel is a dynamic and creative gastronomic experience that Cristiano Barata and his team invite you to savour.