Noélia Jerónimo, from the "Noélia e Jerónimo" restaurant in Cabanas (Portugal), pays homage to the Algarve in a talk during which she cooks two typical recipes, and makes a stand for the role of women and love for one's work.

Portuguese chef Noélia Jerónimo brings two local recipes to the FéminAs stage from her restaurant: hake prepared like cod, and an oven-baked pie. “Food must have taste. And another aspect that is important for me is heat. Heat is the soul of food, it is life”, claimed Noélia. 

As she worked on the hake, the chef made a stand for the role of women in gastronomy. "Women are overshadowed by men in cookery because they give up their life for the family. But they are a force of nature, they can work and have a child, they are fighters, they are light", she claimed. She also had something to say to encourage women to fight for the profession. “It's a difficult profession, very intense, and it means many hours of hard work. It's total dedication. And it's not easy being a woman in this sector, but those who fought for it got there in the end. I had to learn to say no. But it was worth it, because here I am today", she explained. She sent out a new message of love for one's work, a message to the future generations inculcating a passion for work, a call to take on the ups and downs of life head on and, in short, to learn to fight. She singled out the trajectory of Carmen Ruscalleda, also present at the congress, praising her huge role in the gastronomy world. The Portuguese chef holds her Catalan counterpart as an example of the struggle she supports.

She rounded off her talk with the deplorable situation of rural areas at the present time, practically depopulated. She also spoke out in praise of the important work by those working the land and producers. 

When the recipe had been completed, she defined her cuisine at the restaurant. “We have simple cuisine, using local seasonal produce. It's maritime cooking, because we have the sea nearby. But most especially our cuisine is served up with love, soul, life and fire. Cooking is a gift of love”.