Chef Helt Araújo

A childhood driven by curiosity, around pots and pans, are the memories that have stuck from Helt’s past. Angolan in body and soul, a true propagator of Angolan culture and generator of new and different sensory experiences, this is chef Helt Araújo. He has spent time in various restaurants around the world, although his academic training began in Lisbon, at the Hotel and Tourism School. Talent and ambition are what define him, distinguishing himself by his deep roots and by not restricting himself to what a dish offers, setting out to discover flavours in other fields that involve research and self-improvement.
Wearing his country on his sleeve, the chef was fêted as «Chef of the Future» by the International Gastronomy Academy, once again raising Angola’s flag when he won the world gastronomy competition. Just like his favourite condiment, salt, Helt preserves Angolan culture in the dishes he cooks, where colour, aroma and simplicity prevail, creating a charismatic dish.
The gastronome currently coordinates the CHA (Chef Helt Araújo) team, working on several projects such as Catering Palatum, catering for private aviation and small events, Flor do Duke, his first fine dining restaurant on the Island of Luanda and Marina Baía, his first project for a hotel. The sustenance behind his work does not lie in technology, as you might expect, but rather in creativity, knowledge and a spirit of work and helping each other. The Chef of the Future has passed on the values of commitment, integrity and appreciation to his team, the secret ingredients behind an emotional and genuine story. Purpose is the factor uniting CHA, a trait that reflects the harmonious symphony of the dishes made by the team. In Helt’s eyes, a chef in the contemporary world must study and teach, know how to deal with a high level of stress and have a spirit of leadership to serve as the helm of his team. In fact, it is no longer an easily defined trade. Today, the profession already demands adaptability and versatility in order for success to be knocking.

Sustainability and waste management are still a big challenge

Chef Helt shares an objective view of the future of his field, guaranteeing that the fate of gastronomy involves the communion between tradition and innovation, as «both provide the narrative, the emotional connection and the way in which the dish transmits the message to guests». Indeed, modern cuisine is already dynamic and evolving, but Helt considers it important to reinvent the national product, in order to generate «both creative and daring solutions». Anyone who associates innovation with complexity is mistaken, as the chef explains, saying it is more difficult to make a dish with fewer ingredients than with more technique and seasonings.
Although it is important to dream about the future, Helt Araújo has his feet firmly on the ground, with well-defined goals and plans, while always working to the same maxim: respect for the ingredient, as well as the entire sustainability chain. However fast-paced and ever-changing cooking may be, with strong trends and lasting fashions, it cannot be forgotten that gastronomy is culture and appreciation of heritage, just as it should not be overlooked that the «preservation of the environment, as the source of all production processes, requires deep reflection by all of us, the consumers». In fact, sustainability and waste management are still a great challenge for the industry.
With a critical eye, the chef believes that Angola should invest in promoting national products, spreading the gastronomic culture to the four corners of the world. Perhaps this is the secret to his success, perhaps this is the direction needed to make a life-long dream come true, such as having a restaurant listed in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Even so, Helt lives one day at a time, yet always aware that mistakes are necessary for improvement, while finding inspiration, along the way, in chefs such as João Rodrigues and Alex Atala and, above all else, in the multicoloured and joyful heart of his homeland.