TANDEM: Interview with Lionel Ortega

      Lionel Ortega (age: 37) from France is married to Alice Rocha da Silva and lives in Brasilia since 2010. They have one son, Rafael (1 and a  half year old), born in Brasilia in 2011. Lionel is a “chef de cuisine” and runs his own restaurant “L’Atelier du chef” in Brasilia   1. Where and how did you meet your wife? I met my wife in France when she did her master in law. I knew her during a birthday party in a jazz club in Aix-en-provence.   2. What was the reason for you to chose Brasilia as your domicile? The reason of my choice was simple, Brasilia is the city where my wife comes from.   3. What was your profession in Paris before moving to Brasilia? I was a private chef-de-cuisine for an English family.   4. Which hurdles did you have to overcome to continue your professional career in Brasilia? The difficulties were to learn a new language, to discover a new city, a new culture, to learn and understand all about the habits of the Brazilian people.   5. What was the most impressive experience at the beginning? The most impressive experience at the beginning was to adapt my style of cooking for Brazilian people and others, too, using Brazilian products / ingredients.   6. Do you miss anything from France? I miss