Brazilian restaurant adapts menus to climate challenges
Climate Dictates the Menu at São Paulo's Three-Star Tuju
A First for Latin America
Poinews.com – In April, Tuju earned its third Michelin star, joining fellow São Paulo restaurant Evvai as the first two establishments in all of Latin America to claim that distinction. The Michelin Guide characterises the dining experience as "a truly unique experience," praising the chef for drawing on his background to merge Brazilian seasonal ingredients — especially those native to São Paulo — with cutting-edge culinary technique.
The venue occupies a three-storey structure in a city of roughly 12 million residents, yet the operation inside is governed by an almost obsessive attention to detail. Every plate that leaves the kitchen is shaped by one overriding variable: the weather.
Four Menus, No Fixed Calendar
Rather than rotating dishes by calendar month, Tuju organises its offerings around four climatic archetypes — "Humidity," "Rain," "Wind," and "Drought" — each triggering an entirely new tasting menu. The Michelin Guide underscores this approach: "Each season, with its distinctive climatic characteristics of humidity, rain, wind and drought, shapes an entirely new tasting menu!"
For a 12-course tasting, the kitchen rewrites its menu every three months so that each ingredient is presented at its peak of flavour, texture, provenance, and environmental responsibility. Global warming is making São Paulo's rainfall patterns increasingly erratic, which in turn accelerates the need for constant menu revision.
Super El Niño and the Extended Mushroom Window
Chef Ivan Ralston, who co-runs the restaurant with gastronomic researcher Katherina Cordas, explains how climate anomalies directly reshape what appears on the plate:
"By now, São Paulo should already be dry. Normally, July and August are dry months, but it still hasn't dried out. We've had occasional rain. This is linked to Super El Niño, which has given us a much longer mushroom season; it has lasted almost twice as long. So you always have to stay alert and adapt. In the end, it's not a fixed situation that will stay the same forever."
Ralston further describes the city's shifting weather cycles:
"Here in São Paulo, there are times of year when, day after day, 60 days go by without rain. Each of these patterns offers different products and possibilities."
Cooking at Tuju is treated as a blend of art, improvisation, and rapid adaptation. Ralston and Cordas deliberate over every dish before it reaches a guest, ensuring that whatever the sky delivers — or withholds — is translated into a coherent gastronomic narrative.
A Celebration, Not a Routine
Access to the experience is tightly controlled. Reservations must be booked months ahead, and the price tag reaches up to 1,650 reais (approximately 277 euros) per menu. Co-owner Katherina Cordas frames the restaurant's purpose plainly:
"It's a restaurant for celebrating. It's not the sort of place you come to every day just to eat and go home; it's for a special occasion."
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