Ljubomir Stanisic has been named consulting executive chef at Six Senses Douro Valley. A Serbian native who settled in Portugal in 1997, he was so inspired by Portuguese produce and culinary traditions that he dedicated his career to his adopted country.
Born in Sarajevo in 1978 Ljubo studied pastry, bakery and international cuisine before specialising in food chemistry at the Belgrad Culinary School. He arrived in Portugal tired of the Balkan Wars in 1997 after spending time in Hungary, France and Spain. His 20-year career included stops with famous Portuguese Chef Vitor Sobral at Cervejeira Lusitana and at Hotel Fortaleza do Guincho (one Michelin star) in Cascais, followed by a stint at Aldebaran (one Michelin star) in Badajoz, Spain with Chef Fernando Barcena.
In 2004 he opened his first 100 Maneiras restaurant in Cascais, near to Lisbon. Awards followed and according to renowned Food Critic Rafael dos Santos, ‘Ljubomir Stanisic is today recognised as one of the most creative chefs in Portugal’ receiving honours from Revista de Vinhos in Portugal and Veja magazine in Brazil.
He published in 2006, his first book ‘Cascais 100 Maneiras’. Another one followed in 2011 ‘Papa Quilómetros – Uma Caminhada Pela Gastronomia Portuguesa’ where he revealed the base and origin of his creativity: namely the produce, the people, and stories of his travels and experiences, and most recently in 2015, ‘100 Maneiras, 100 Cocktails’. 2016 started well with the coveted David Lopes Ramos (Revista de Vinhos) gastronomy award.
Ljubo became one of three judges of the first MasterChef Portugal TV show in 2011 and became a national star.
The Portuguese-Yoguslavian enfant terrible of the Portuguese culinary world is known for his strong personality, highly creative approach and the wonderful flavours of his creations. Ljubo does not eat to live, he lives to eat and to share his insatiable passion with the world.
At Six Senses Douro Valley, Chef Ljubo pays tribute to all that the Douro region has to offer, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with deep roots in organic agriculture, the fertile valley provides a veritable cornucopia of choice ingredients to delight the senses.
The multi-faceted dining rooms, terraces, and lounges of Six Senses Douro Valley provide the backdrop for menus inspired by the organic gardens, using nothing but seasonal local produce that has undergone as little manipulation as possible. The à la carte country house fare is complemented by a refined tasting menu and Chef’s Table experience, and a petiscos (Portuguese tapas) menu is featured in the expansive Wine Library highlighting the best local cheeses, home made pickles and world famous charcuterie.
Ljubo brings to the table not just delicious food, but Six Senses values of environmental sustainability, wellness, local sensitivity and global sensibility, good food for a good cause. Gut health is key to well-being, and fundamental in menu creation. Be local, buy local, eat local is the mantra.
By giving priority to the nutritional richness of each ingredient and minimal processing, nutritional values are preserved. River and North Atlantic fish feature prominently alongside a healthy variety of delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes. Only grass fed red meats, local game, many different types of heritage cereals and an organic ‘where possible’ approach to all sourcing from the resort’s vegetable gardens and the Valley’s niche producers. The idea is to show that healthy, whole food-based cooking creates delicious fuel for your body.
Cooking and preparing food in the Open Kitchen stimulates all the senses. Homemade breads, pickles, preserves, yogurts, cheeses, butter, olive oils all help to define the experience as uniquely Douro.
