Brazil Michelin restaurant lets rain decide its menu

Tuju, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Sao Paulo, changes the timing of its menus according to rainfall rather than fixed calendar dates.

Chef Ivan Ralston and gastronomic researcher Katherina Cordas spent two years studying ingredients, mainly from Sao Paulo state, before reopening the restaurant in 2023. Cordas said using local products at their best requires flexibility in a region where summer storms can disrupt the city and reservoirs can run dry in winter.

The restaurant offers four menus called “Humidity,” “Rain,” “Gale” and “Drought.” Ralston said Sao Paulo is usually dry in July, but wetter conditions this year linked to El Nino meant mushroom season lasted almost twice as long.

Tuju’s 10-course tasting menu uses ingredients from small producers across Sao Paulo state. Michelin says the restaurant combines modern techniques with creativity and culinary research.

Tuju received its third Michelin star in April alongside Evvai, also in Sao Paulo. AFP reported that they became the first restaurants in Latin America to receive Michelin’s top rating.