Graduated in gastronomy in New York, Rafa Gomes is the finalist for the new Netflix show.
At the age of 39, Rafael Gomes obtained the highest score in the first season of Iron Chef Brasil, Netflix’s gastronomic reality show. All eight episodes have been available on the streaming platform since August 10. The chef graduated in gastronomy from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, has worked at prestigious restaurants such as Eleven and Gramercy Tavern, also in the Big Apple, and was the winner of the MasterChef Professionals in 2018, shown by Band.
Presented by actress Fernanda Souza and chef Andressa Cabral (Yayá Comidaria), Iron Chef Brasil proposes an exciting competition between challenging professionals and some of the most renowned names in Brazilian gastronomy, including Bel Coelho, from Cuia Café and Clandestino, the Thiago Castanho, from Remanso do Peixe, from Pará, and chef Rodrigo Oliveira, owner of Mocotó and Balaio, in São Paulo, and Caboco, in Los Angeles.
An absolute highlight of the program, Rafael Gomes showed mastery of dishes based on Brazilian flavors and textures, using international influences and techniques, expertise acquired in his prestigious restaurant Itacoa, which opened in Paris in 2018. In the following years, it was Rio’s turn to receive two branches of Itacoa, in Barra da Tijuca and in Leblon. In October, the chef plans to open his third restaurant, Tiara, also in Rio de Janeiro.
Rafael stands out on the show for the creation of soul fusion dishes such as Angola chicken with truffles and mushroom puree. As in the foreign versions of the television series that started in Japan, Iron Chef Brasil showcases national gastronomy talents in challenges where the technical quality of the dishes is the star of the program.
