The Chef

Thiago das Chagas

Pernambuco-born chef and entrepreneur — gastronomy, tradition and territory.

About

Throughout his career, Thiago das Chagas has developed a cuisine centered on popular knowledge, focused on cooking over fire and embers, slow stews, curing and fermentation — respecting the time each ingredient needs and building flavor through traditional technique.

A Pernambuco-born chef based in Olinda, Brazil, with more than two decades of professional experience, his relationship with cooking began in childhood, alongside his grandmother, where he had his first contact with the fundamentals of traditional Northeastern Brazilian cuisine.

His work combines international experience, technical training and hands-on restaurant operation, with close attention to the local supply chain and regional ingredients. He currently develops gastronomic projects that connect tradition, territory and contemporary cooking, including cultural exchange initiatives and the internationalization of Pernambuco's cuisine.

Culinary signature

Traditional Pernambuco cuisine, professionally executed

Cooking over fire, embers and slow braises
Structured stews and intense broths
Traditional proteins: goat, lamb, free-range chicken and offal
Regional ingredients such as pumpkin, corn, maxixe and coalho cheese
Respect for the product, seasonality and the supply chain
Technique applied to tradition, without losing its character

Training and career

Professional career

Thiago is a Pernambuco chef and owner of the restaurants Reteteu Comida Honesta, São Pedro and Gracinha, in Recife and Olinda. With almost 20 years of professional experience, he builds his cuisine around the ingredients, techniques and knowledge of Northeastern Brazilian gastronomy.

He holds a degree in Hospitality from the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) and built his practical training in kitchens in Brazil and abroad. He lived in Europe for four years, working in restaurants in Portugal and England, including a stint at O Viajante, in London, under Michelin-starred chef Nuno Mendes, as well as working as sous-chef in kitchens in Lisbon.

He holds a Master's degree in Food Safety and Quality in Foodservice from the Estoril Higher Institute for Tourism and Hotel Studies (Portugal), along with a certification as an internal kitchen auditor, which strengthens his work in professional kitchen management and operations.

In 2025, he took part in nationwide initiatives promoting Pernambuco's gastronomy, traveling across Brazil in projects developed with EMPETUR and ABRASEL, representing the state at gastronomic events. He has also worked as a cooking instructor in social projects, served as a consultant for SENAC-PE, joined culinary collectives such as Mesa Coletiva, and helped organize the Slow Food movement in Recife.

National television

Mestre do Sabor

Thiago took part in Mestre do Sabor, a cooking competition aired on TV Globo, Brazil's largest broadcaster — which brought national visibility to his work and to Northeastern Brazilian cuisine.

Read the feature on gshow ↗

Gastronomy as cultural diplomacy

International projects

Beyond having lived in Europe for four years, with professional experience in Portugal and England, Thiago has recently taken part in cultural exchange projects that carry Pernambuco's gastronomy to other territories.

Madrid, Spain — Recife, Sabor y Arte Festival (2026)

Thiago represented Pernambuco as the leading chef of the Recife, Sabor y Arte Festival in Madrid — an initiative by the Fundação Gilberto Freyre and Prensa Marketing, sponsored by Embratur with support from Iberia. The menu, signed by him, featured sun-dried beef, pumpkin with goat cheese, tapioca farofa, cashews, coconut octopus and sweet potato, alongside music and woodcut art, for Spanish journalists and influencers.

Thiago das Chagas and team during the Recife, Sabor y Arte Festival in Madrid, Spain

Thiago das Chagas during the Recife-Nantes culinary residency in France

Recife ↔ Nantes culinary residency (France, 2025)

Thiago took part as Pernambuco's representing chef in a cultural exchange project between Brazil and France: a culinary residency in Nantes, immersed in the local food culture, followed by an exchange in Brazil with French chef Léo Hout. The project culminated in a public event with an open kitchen, bringing gastronomy and cultural exchange together for both communities.

Pilot project — Japan

Thiago took part in an experimental cultural internationalization initiative in Japan, blending gastronomy and music in collaboration with musician Homero Basílio — laying the groundwork for further international projects for Pernambuco's cuisine.

Thiago das Chagas cooking during a cultural project in Japan

Beyond Gracinha

The chef's other restaurants

Thiago das Chagas also runs two other addresses of Pernambuco gastronomy in Recife.

Reteteu Comida Honesta

Founded in 2012, Reteteu grew out of a small artisanal operation selling Pernambuco food and, over the years, became one of Recife's most relevant restaurants. The name says it all: honest food, no shortcuts, built around traditional preparations like cupim (beef hump) and goat meat.

Every dish puts flavor, technique and cultural identity first, keeping a direct relationship with local producers and the region's food culture — an extension of the same culinary research that also shapes Gracinha.

With a strong media presence and public recognition, Reteteu was named one of Brazil's 100 best restaurants by Exame magazine in 2025.

@reteteucomidahonesta ↗

São Pedro Restaurante

São Pedro grew out of Thiago's broader work in Pernambuco gastronomy, focused on experiences that bring together cuisine, culture and territory. The restaurant has two locations: the first, opened in 2018, occupies the iconic and historic Pátio de São Pedro in downtown Recife — a site tied to the city's history of Black resistance — and the second is in Pina.

At the Pátio location, the project engages directly with the historic and cultural context of the site, offering a cuisine that celebrates regional ingredients and traditional seafood preparations in a space charged with symbolic identity.

São Pedro also works as a space for experimentation and collaboration, hosting cultural projects, culinary gatherings and initiatives that bring different art forms together. It has also been featured in Exame magazine's Guide to Brazil's 100 Best Restaurants.

@saopedrorestaurante ↗

What sets him apart

Tradition and territory

Cuisine grounded in Pernambuco's food culture, with respect for local techniques and ingredients.

Technique and operations

Solid experience in restaurant management and execution, focused on standardization and consistency.

Cultural and international work

Participation in exchange projects, residencies and initiatives that position gastronomy as a tool for cultural diplomacy.

Follow the chef

Follow Thiago das Chagas' day-to-day in the kitchen.

@daschagasthiago on Instagram ↗