Cooking ‘John Wayne’ style

Two-Michelin starred Chef Dieter Koschina likes nothing better than opening the door of the refrigerator in his kitchen at Vila Joya and creating something that is not on the restaurant’s menu from its contents.

Dieter Koschina was born in Dornbirn in Austria and grew up in Salzburg. He fondly remembers his mother’s cooking and helping her in the kitchen when he was as young as five years old. He also remembers her support of his ‘dream career’.

Aged just 14 he entered into an internship, following which he worked in several Michelin-starred restaurants, including Souvretta House, Tantris, Tristan and Hilton Vienna Plaza.

Chef Koschina arrived at Vila Joya in 1991 and won its first Michelin Star in 1995, followed by the second in 1999. For 13 years, Vila Joya with Dieter Koschina was the only restaurant in Portugal to be honoured with two Michelin Stars.

The kitchen at Vila Joya has been awarded many other culinary accolades. In 2012, it became the first restaurant in Portugal to enter ‘The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list and climbed to number 22 in the list in 2014. The hotel has just been voted by the World Travel Awards as ‘Europe’s Best Boutique Hotel 2015’.

In his 20+ years at Vila Joya, Dieter Koschina has transformed the restaurant with his culinary enthusiasm.

He is a talented chef with a passion for his profession. His inspiration, creativity and determination to deliver perfection in taste have enabled him to lead Vila Joya to its position as one of the best restaurants in Portugal, and now, in the world.

Chef Koschina frequently reminds his team that a restaurant without clients is like a king without a kingdom. “The roots of our success are our clients and our ultimate goal is to fulfil their culinary wishes in the best possible way.”

For this reason, he enjoys taking special requests. When he advises his team, “It’s John Wayne time,” he means it’s time to open the fridge, have a look at what is inside and start cooking dishes that are not on the menu.

The menu at Vila Joya changes every day, focusing on seasonal ingredients from local suppliers complemented by quality products from top suppliers, such as caviar and certain cuts of meat.

Chef Koschina also uses his Austrian roots, sometimes preparing Austrian specialities, such as Rindsuppe (beef soup), traditional Wiener Schnitzels or Kaiserschmarrn, which resembles a pancake in pieces served with a fruit sauce and sprinkled with sugar.

In spite of his success, Dieter Koschina remains humble in his ambitions. “Our main goal isn’t necessarily to constantly achieve stars and awards but to please our guests so they return time and time again. When we receive positive feedback from our guests, this is what makes us happy.”


ABOUT VILA JOYA

The ‘House of Joy‘ or ‘Jewelry Box‘ in the original translation, is a small oriental palazzo directly situated on the picturesque Atlantic coast. Valuable and precious objects are put into a jewellery box and in fact, a treasure is truly meant by this aptly chosen name.

You will find Vila Joya at a breathtakingly beautiful spot, where Moorish architecture coupled with the fragrance of the Atlantic Ocean helps to conjure the charm of a fairy tale. It’s a house of discriminating taste, which grants everything you could wish for and opens a window to paradise.

Vila Joya is like an exquisite garden of Eden, where your dreams can come true... A pearl in the oyster.