"Born in 1986 in Paranhos, near Porto, Joao Oliveira grew up with his parents and grandparents who ran a small bar in the village. In his youth, he often went fishing with his father, which awakened his curiosity for the sea, and he played football professionally until he became a referee, an occupation he shares with most of his family. He gave up the whistle when cooking became more important. He studied culinary arts in Porto, and started his career at the Casa da Calçada restaurant in Amaranteus when he was only 18 years old. He joined Ricardo Costa as a chef, with whom he later made a career. Becoming sous chef, he returned the Michelin star for Casa da Calçada with Costa, and won the Macaron for The Yeatman, the restaurant dedicated to Costa and where Oliveira had already started as sous chef. Eight years with Costa was enough for a chef eager to discover other cuisines and regions, and in 2014, at the age of 26, he joined Dieter Koschini at Villa Joya**. A year later, he took over the kitchen of the Vista restaurant at the Relais Chateaux Bela Vista Hotel & SPA in Portimao. It started in 2015-2016. with a meat-free menu, based only on less commercial fish and only from the Algarve that is happy to accept it. In 2017, he received a Michelin star and worked with IPMA (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera) confirming results in terms of sustainability and food value."