From the Earth to the Plate

David Jesus, chef of Seiva restaurant

David Jesus gets emotional. “It’s called Seiva in honor of my father and grandfather, who were resin collectors”, says the chef who opened a vegetarian restaurant in Leça da Palmeira, eager to connect people with nature and land. “If they have to eat with their hand, they eat with their hands”, he says. The kitchen is his natural habitat, where he feels most comfortable, and, at the age of 12, he realized it was among pots and pans that he wanted to make a career. “My grandfather had a spot in the market, in Setúbal, where he sold fish, so this closeness to the product always made a lot of sense to me,” he explains, adding that the cuisine in his restaurant is (obviously) seasonal and made with products as locally sourced as possible. “I often get my supplies from the Matosinhos Market, for example, and the vegetables come from Póvoa de Varzim.

But the journey for this 27-year-old young chef has already been long. He has worked in acclaimed restaurants around the world, such as Diverxo, by chef David Muñoz, in Madrid; Quique Dacosta’s restaurant, in Alicante (both with 3 Michelin stars); and Fortaleza do Guincho, with one star, at the beginning of his career. “I wanted to study and needed money, so I went to an interview, and they had me washing dishes. That’s where I began to work with high-quality ingredients”, he recalls. His resume also includes restaurants like Feitoria, in Lisbon, also with one star, and the restaurants of the Cervejarias Brasão group when he arrived to Porto, shortly before the first lockdown.

Now, in this place of his own, he creates a playful menu, full of flavor and without pretensions, influenced by the world and reflected in his creations. These range from creamy kimchi croquettes with marinated cabbage to strawberry gazpachos with Chinese barbecue and edamame, as well as grilled asparagus accompanied by Madeiran corn, green mustard sauce and sheep’s milk, and desserts like French toast, made here with vegan brioche, almond milk and tamarind condensed milk.

When he isn’t inventing new recipes, he is practicing martial arts – more specifically MMA – or, on the other hand, reading, writing or producing music. “I play a bit of piano, but I have been more focused on electronic music, synthesized on the computer. I’m quite clumsy with strings”, he laughs.

Living in Maia, he is looking for a house in Leça da Palmeira, which reminds him of Setúbal, where he was born. “In both cities there is this connection and proximity to the sea, which is really interesting and brings back a lot of memories from when I was younger.”