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DUBAI: For Claudio Cardoso, director of culinary at ��������’s Leylaty Group, the path to becoming a chef began in childhood.  

“I come from a background of a family in hospitality,” he tells Arab News. Born in South Africa to a Mozambican mother, with Portuguese roots on both sides, Cardoso grew up immersed in the world of food.  

“My family in Portugal were pretty much in the industry. So I was always at bakeries and vineyards. My great grandmother was a chef. My grandmother was a chef and a baker,” he adds.  

His earliest memories revolve around food and cooking — tasting, questioning and learning. Summers spent with his grandparents on their farms nurtured a deep connection to produce, something that still grounds his approach to cooking today. 

But, for a long time, becoming a chef didn’t seem like a viable career path. “It was more like something that you’re passionate about,” he says. “You like the ingredients… you like to eat.” That changed at 15, when his mother suggested applying to a prestigious chef school near Lisbon.  

From there, he never looked back. “I progressed into getting more in depth in terms of the science behind culinary,” he says.  

What’s your top tip for amateur chefs? 

Follow the recipe. Don’t try to cut corners or make it quicker. Good things take time to be done properly. Cooking is all about temperature and time, so patience is key.  

When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?  

It’s hard not to. It’s not about being critical; but it’s hard to not look out for details. When I go out, I try to make sure that I get inspired. I try to pick places that make sense for me, to think differently or to be stimulated. I’m not a person to ever make a fuss about something in a restaurant. If I notice there’s something wrong, and it’s important, I always call a person in charge and tell them, without people noticing, just for them to look out for it. But I try to relax and have a good time. When you’re in the industry yourself, you know what happens in the back. You know it’s never going to be perfect. So I try not to be a complicated guest. 

What’s the most common issue that you find in other restaurants? 

A lack of salt in some dishes. And I think in terms of service, we lost a little bit of the classic style. So sometimes you have service people that are not doing it passionately and that can have an impact on your business, because you’re not really making people feel special — and that’s the industry we’re in. 

What’s your favorite cuisine or dish to eat?  

I like experimental cuisine — things that make you wonder and stimulate your thoughts. But if I’m going out, usually I choose Japanese cuisine. I like Asian cuisine in general. But if I had to pick one, it would be Japanese cuisine — though not necessarily sushi. With Japanese food in general, it’s the way they execute simplicity to maintain the original flavors and make it still healthy.  

What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home? 

Pizza. It’s been my comfort food since I was a kid. When you’re sick, it makes you feel better. So it makes me feel comfortable, but I also feel very happy making it. I like to do a very good pizza. As much as it sounds simple, there’s a lot of science behind a good dough that’s properly fermented.  

What’s your favorite dish to cook?  

One dish that reminds me of my family and my country is salted cod. Portugal is very well known for salted cod. The way I like to do it is: after the cod has been washed, you place it in a tray with onions underneath. You put mashed potato around the cod. You place it in breadcrumbs, little bit of olive oil, and you bake it. That is, hands down, one of my favorite dishes to cook and to eat when I’m with family and friends. It’s my roots.  

What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?  

The challenge is usually consistency, because products differ. You might have an orange today that doesn’t taste exactly like an orange tomorrow, even if it is from the same production. So sometimes the inconsistency of the product affects the end result. I think sauces — the consistency of flavor in certain sauces — is challenging because you just need one ingredient to change. And everyone has a different way of seasoning. Also, the way you cook has a lot to do with your mood, so inconsistency has so many different layers.  

As a head chef, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laid back? 

I try to give space for people to be autonomous. I think people shine when they are… I don’t want to say free to do whatever they want, but when they can perform without feeling that they’re being judged. I like to mentor people. It’s very easy to say something is wrong, but you gain more by saying, “Listen, this is not right, but you can adjust it by doing X, Y, and Z.” I can’t really say I’m laid back, because I do have a certain energy, but I don’t shout. You’ll rarely hear me getting upset or raising my voice. Mistakes happen. No kitchen will ever be perfect. I know lots of chefs believe that what they say is what goes. I’m very open to listen to different opinions, and definitely there is not one rule that applies to everything.  

Chef Claudio’s paper pizza recipe  

Ingredients 

Brick base (Ultra-Thin Dough) 

2 sheets of brick pastry (feuille de brick or brik pastry) 

Olive oil, for brushing 

Tomato base 

50g sun-dried tomato paste 

2ml extra virgin olive oil 

Salt to taste 

Parmesan-oregano dust 

30 g Parmesan cheese (aged, finely grated) 

2g oregano powder 

1g garlic powder (for extra flavor) 

Garnish 

5g of caviar 

Olive oil spheres (see below) 

Olive oil spherification  

Ingredients: 

100 ml extra virgin olive oil (cold) 

2 g sodium alginate 

200 ml distilled water (for bath) 

1 g calcium chloride 

Steps: 

Prepare bath: Dissolve calcium chloride in distilled water. Chill in fridge. 

Olive oil base: Blend olive oil with sodium alginate until smooth. 

Using a pipette or syringe, drop olive oil mixture into the calcium bath. 

Let sit for 30–60 seconds until spheres form. Rinse with clean water. 

Assembly instructions 

Prepare brick base: 

Preheat oven to 180°C. 

Brush both sides of the brick pastry lightly with olive oil. 

Make tomato layer: 

Mix sun-dried tomato paste with olive oil and a pinch of salt. 

Spread a very thin layer over the brick base. 

Parmesan-oregano dust: 

Pass parmesan through a fine sieve to get a fluffy, snow-like texture. 

Mix with oregano powder and garlic powder. 

Sprinkle lightly over the tomato layer. 

Bake: 

Bake for three to four minutes on a flat tray with greaseproof paper. 

Garnish: 

Arrange olive oil spheres carefully using a spoon or tweezers. 

Place one to two small spoonfuls of caviar strategically for visual and flavor contrast.