Climate adaptation in fine dining: At Tuju, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in São Paulo, Brazil, erratic rainfall dictates everything from menu rotations to ingredient sourcing. Chef Ivan Ralston and partner Katherina Cordas spent two years researching local produce from São Paulo state, yet using items at their peak remains a constant battle. “It takes a lot of flexibility,” said Cordas, 38, who leads the culinary research center behind the restaurant, noting how summer storms and winter dry spells disrupt predictable harvests.
The restaurant, which earned its third Michelin star in April alongside Evvai, marks the first time Latin America has seen two top-tier honorees. Rather than fixed seasonal menus, Tuju adapts its four offerings—Humidity, Rain, Gale, and Drought—to follow the weather. “São Paulo is usually dry in July, but this year El Niño kept it wetter, so mushroom season lasted twice as long,” Ralston explained. This climate adaptation in fine dining demands constant vigilance, turning unpredictability into a creative driver for the 10-course tasting menu that costs 1,650 reais.
Ralston, trained in top Spanish and Japanese kitchens, leads a mostly female team of eight chefs who work in silent synchrony beneath dramatic lighting. He admits frustration with diners focused on social media content. “Eating is a moment to pay attention to details. Stop working on the marketing of living and enjoy life a little more!” he advised. The experience begins with cocktails under a jabuticaba tree and ends on a rooftop with native chocolates and honey.
Tuju originally opened in 2014, earned its first star quickly, then closed due to Covid-19. After a two-year study of Brazilian cuisine, Ralston and Cordas reopened in 2023. While São Paulo hosts more Michelin stars than any Latin American city, Ralston credits economic strength, not inequality, for its culinary scene. Ultimately, climate adaptation in fine dining proves that resilience, research, and flexibility are the true ingredients of excellence.