Without a doubt, Alex Atala is the world’s best-known Brazilian chef, a status earned thanks to cuisine that “always has lots to tell. ” He views his food as “a viable dream”—it is contemporary yet wholly engaged with the culinary roots of the country. Tasting menus (some of which are vegetarian) make full use of traditional Brazilian ingredients (tucupi, jambu, pupunha palm heart, and more) and are designed around Amazonian and indigenous cooking that predate the discovery of the New World.