Má Vontade

Today's interview isn't the kind you weren't expecting. Did you know that it's possible to mix good food, good aesthetics, good atmosphere, art and streetwear in a single space? Má Vontade is living proof of that. Enjoy and thank us later :)

How do you define yourselves?

In a word? Community. Of course, the core of this project is the restaurant, the canteen but when I thought about Má Vontade, I never wanted to set any barriers. My love of streetwear, street culture and music (not just hip-hop) had to be there.

What began with two people and a dream is now a project of many people, who receive and return affection every day. The community I imagined back then already exists and is growing. That alone makes me happy.

How did the idea of creating Má Vontade come about?

Good things are often born out of necessity , for personal reasons I had to return to my homeland. In Algarve, I was working in fine dining on a project called Cercle. When we closed it, a project that took a lot of money, we decided to create something “simpler”, more democratic, that would reach more people. Not least because, when we opened Má Vontade, Cercle was still on sale and the budget was short.

So I decided to create something for my 16-year-old self: who didn't think too much about the consequences, who was freer. This freedom is the basis of everything, even the way we communicate: raw, direct and unfiltered.

Do you have any inspiration from abroad? Are there spots abroad with a similar concept that influence yours in some way?

Yes, I took a lot of inspiration from Paperboy in Paris, visually, and in terms of food, from Livingston Marseille, which, as the name suggests, is in Marseille.

Frédèric and I often go to France, where he's from, and basically what we do most there is eat! By the way, I'd like to take this opportunity to shout out to Frédèric, my partner and a big part of this project. He's the man who doesn't appear much, but who takes care of all the bureaucratic stuff and also the pastry.

Guimarães is a very special city. How was the hosting experience here? Did you feel any resistance or curiosity?

First you get strange, then you get used to it. Guimarães has always been very much geared towards traditional restaurants, which I love and frequent a lot. That's why the first year was unstable but since the beginning of this year I feel that things are turning in our favour.

We've managed to improve details that made a difference, such as extraction and that paved the way for bringing our Japanese charcoal grill to the centre of the service. That's when the “Low Flame Social Club” was born: slow fire, embers and a menu that doesn't ask for permission to exist. We wanted to break the mould and make a mark, and that's exactly what we're doing.

Of course, there were projects here in Guimarães that had already broken some ground before us. They helped pave the way and get people used to seeing less traditional offerings. This made it easier for Má Vontade to emerge with its own identity and say: “this is what we are, and we're going to continue to be.”

In addition to the food, people can see that thoughtful care is taken with everything: the music, the menu design, the atmosphere, even the way they communicate on social media. Is it all part of the experience? Is it thought of as a whole?

Yes, it's always thought of as a whole. I took visual arts at high school and, at the time, the idea was to go into architecture... until descriptive geometry took that away from me (anyone who's been there understands). I've always liked drawing and thought that illustration would be the natural path, until I found myself in limbo for two years without really knowing what I wanted to do.

It was during this period that I started cooking more with friends and family, initially just to avoid doing the dishes. Then I went to the Algarve to take a course in Kitchen Management and Production and that's when I put the pieces together: I realised that my visual and creative interests could intersect with gastronomy.

At Má Vontade, it all comes together. Food is just one part of what we do. Design, music and communication are all connected and serve to convey the same feeling. Basically, this project is an extension of my personal interests: it's my way of bringing together cuisine, visual culture, music, etc...

Originality is one of the words that defines you. Where do you get so many ideas - for dishes, posts, concepts? Is there a method or is it creative chaos?

When we were developing the visual identity, Ivo, CEO of MOB Agency, asked me: “If Má Vontade were a famous artist, who would it be?”. I answered without thinking: Tyler, The Creator because he reinvents himself with every album, and that's what I want for Má Vontade. I'm someone who gets tired of things quickly and I can't live in the same loop all the time. Here, we are whatever we want to be.

An example of this is the ephemeral events we did last summer: we've served only Asian food (Slurp n’ Burp), only Italian (Tutti a Enfardar Pasta Bar), or only hamburgers (Hangover Treatment).

Usually, the raw idea comes from me, from my experiences, from travelling, from what I've been listening to or eating, and from my curiosity to understand what's happening in the gastronomic world. Then I share it with trusted friends and send it to Mariana, from MOB Agency, who tries to smooth out the edges and give it shape.

All the visuals are in the hands of Inês, also from MOB, who also happens to be from Guimarães. She's the one who brings our ideas to life. Basically, it's creative chaos with a method in the middle: the idea comes raw, passes through Mariana and Inês, and ends up fine-tuned without losing its essence.

You recently launched “Má Vontade After Sessions”. How did this initiative come about? And what importance does it have within your project?

The idea was born on a sofa, watching NPR's Tiny Desk. After the mousse video went viral, I thought: “What if we gave stage and visibility to emerging artists we identify with?’” That's how it began.

The importance? Community. The word that defines us (or, at least, that I want to define us). The project is still in its infancy, supported by Má Vontade and the efforts of the people involved: me, Pedro, Foca and, more recently, Rafa, our After Sessions host. There are no barriers here: emerging or established artists of different styles can come. The criteria is simple: we want people who identify with us in some way. It's a short, intimate performance where we get to know the artists in a raw way.

It works like this: the artist performs for 15-20 minutes and shows what they do best. Then Rafa comes in with questions that are completely out of the box (usually with green house wine on the table) and we finish with what we do best: eating together. (With the exception of Ledher Blue, who got pizza that day because we sold everything out). It's a costly project, yes, but it can be supported via Patreon.

The aim is simple: to provide better conditions for the artists and the team behind this production to continue building this community.

Do you think that “Má Vontade” is a pioneer in Portugal in this type of place - where gastronomy, art, music and attitude merge?

No. The wheel was invented a long time ago, what we have to do is make it square again, give it a personal stamp with the influences we've collected throughout our lives.

MUSA has been doing something like this for a long time, on a much larger scale. In Lisbon, Crack Kids has also been exploring this intersection between food, art and music for years so I'm not inventing anything new on a national level here. What I'm doing is taking that spirit and giving it its own language in Guimarães.

Má Vontade is just proof that Guimarães also has space and curious people to host projects with an identity and attitude. We're just contributing to that, little by little and seeing people from other cities come here on purpose is something I really appreciate, it's nice to feel that we've managed to move people to Guimarães because of what we do.

In your opinion, are there more spaces with this dynamic in Portugal? What is missing from the national cultural and gastronomic scene?

In my opinion, we need more chefs and entrepreneurs who are less concerned with winning the “Miss World” crown. Using seasonal products should be something intrinsic, not a marketing banner or the only thing that defines you. That's enough of this formatted discourse.

I speak against myself: it was my discourse a few years ago but to be honest, I was depressed as hell trying to be someone I'm not. And please, stop with the lift music.

When I go to a place, I want to feel who's behind it. I want to understand the personality of the person who created it, not leave thinking I could be anywhere in the world listening to the same old playlist: “Jazz Restaurante 2021” on Spotify. What's missing? People with more courage to put a bit of themselves into their projects.

I know it could go to shit in terms of business and all that, but fuck it: I can sleep soundly doing what I like, being me.

A message to our community 🙂

For those of you who are here for streetwear, we're together. Má Vontade has always been more than a restaurant, and clothes are part of that story. A new drop is coming in August. I'm not going to tell you what, but here's the good news.

Next year we're going to up the game and take on Má Vontade as a streetwear brand: summer and winter collections, plus accessories... We're working quietly but everything is being thought out calmly and without haste, to make sense. Oops, and now if you've got this far reading this, congratulations on your patience.

Keep showing up, supporting and creating. Portugal needs more people like this, curious, keen to discover and not afraid to go off the beaten track. If you pass through Guimarães, stop by Má Vontade. Eat, drink, talk to us and be part of this community we're building.

And if you don't, at least take this away: do things your own way. It'll be hard work, it might be shit, but at least it's real.