Rui Paula

Casa de Chá da Boa Nova is one of the world's most architecturally extraordinary restaurants — a 1963 modernist masterpiece by Álvaro Siza Vieira perched on the Atlantic rocks near Porto. The building, the ocean, and Rui Paula's seafood cooking are inseparable. Three Michelin stars are awarded in this setting where nature is the co-chef.

Rui Paula, born and raised in Matosinhos (the fishing village adjacent to Porto), built his Michelin reputation across DOC in the Douro Valley and DOP in Porto before earning three Michelin stars at Casa de Chá da Boa Nova in 2024. His Atlantic seafood philosophy is inseparable from his Matosinhos origins — he grew up smelling the ocean.

Matosinhos, Porto, Portugal — coastal Atlantic tradition; trained in Portuguese cuisine and seafood cookery

Career

• Chef-Owner at DOC, Douro Valley, Portugal (2007–present)
• Chef-Owner at DOP, Porto, Portugal (2010–present)
• Head Chef at Casa de Chá da Boa Nova, Leça da Palmeira, Porto (2014–present)

Mentored by Atlantic Portuguese fishing tradition (Matosinhos); Portuguese fine-dining mentors.