Jorge - The Lisboeta that brought a 150 year old restaurant back to life

Meet Jorginho from “Faz Frio”,

The Lisboeta that brought a 150 year old restaurant back to life.

Jorge, also known as “Jorginho” is the face you have to look at once you enter the door of “ Faz Frio”, one of the oldest and more iconic restaurants in Lisbon.

The restaurant has more than 150 years of stories and traditions and it was the home of wonderful long night talks and gossiping. Unfortunately the restaurant went through a rough patch in the last few years, when the building was sold. Like usual gossips rolled in and there were people saying the new buyers were going to shut it down.

Luckily for us, and for everyone who visits them, that was not the case. Jorginho took over the project and started rebuilding what was once one of the best “bacalhau” houses in the country.

Jorge is, - just like us, - a total beach bum. When he’s not in the restaurant he is either at the beach or traveling the world. He studied hotel management in one of the best schools in the world, and after that he lived around the world gathering knowledge and crazy experiences, - You should hear him talking about them.

Although he’s a world citizen, Jorge never forgot he’s roots and he came back to Portugal to do what he knows best. He attacked this project like no other, and business is thriving. The food is really good, the space even better, and you couldn’t ask for a more Portuguese environment than this.

This is Jorge, get to know him.

Can you tell us your story so far?
I based my decision on something that I love, which is to be seated at the table with my family, with my friends or generally interesting people and to share a lot more than just a meal. And the journey started there.
I think being at the table is a basic human need, because it is basically the moment where all the work related stress and the problems you might have are thrown out the window, it is a place where I feel that you are able to discuss them without the fear of being judged or punished for them.
At the table you’re living the moment, living in that moment.
It was not an easy journey, it never is for anyone. I believe you’re forced to make a major life decision too soon in your life. When you’re 18 you have to chose what you’re going to do for the rest of your life, and you just have to decide.

Next steps for you?
I don’t really know how to answer that question, but going back to the first question, I think it’s really hard to decide what you’re going to do for the rest of your life, and nothing lasts forever.
That being said, it doesn’t mean that I’m not happy with Faz Frio, I’m thrilled with the restaurant and the life it is providing for me, and my main goal is to make it better every single day.
With almost 2 years of experience - which is nothing (chuckles…), but it's 2 more years than what I had when I opened it (more chuckles…) - and I’m always learning and realising the mistakes I made in the passed, and those mistakes are not the same I’m making right now, I’m always trying to improve myself or the business, and whatever the future holds for me, I’m waiting for it. (laughing!)

Best spot in Portugal for you?
I love the Alentejo region…all of it basically, I don’t really know why, I must be part Alentejano (laughing). I love the vibe I get when I’m there either in the countryside or next to the beach. The people, the food, the peace is amazing. It’s an escape from the busy daily routine from the city. If it was up to me I would live there and that would be my vision of a perfect reality. Not putting aside what I have here, because I really enjoy the life I have in the capital and the things I’m capable of achieving here. If Portugal was a Utopia I would live there for sure!
I lived and worked in Alentejo for almost 2 years before I had Faz Frio, and when I was there I wanted to come to the city and now that I’m here I wish it was possible to have the best of both worlds…the human being is never satisfied and we always think that the neighbours chicken is always better then ours (it sounds better in Portuguese…laughing) so I’m never really satisfied, but deep down we have to live in the moment and enjoy what life provides for us in the present so I’m really happy and thankful with what life has been presenting to me.
+351 Suggestions to stay in Alentejo
São Lourenço do Barrocal

What’s your favourite food or restaurant in Portugal?
I don’t have a favourite restaurant or dish honestly (laughing…), I just love this industry and everything it has to offer, so it’s really hard for me to chose only one! I like to change, try new things, new flavours, new textures, new places, new ways of cooking the same dish, and learned how ingredients are used, how did the chef designed and created the final dish, and even if I had a favourite restaurant I wouldn’t go there very often because I wouldn’t want to get tired of it! (laughing a lot).
But…honestly if I had a gun to my head and I had to chose a type of culinary to eat for the rest of my life, I would have to chose the Japanese culinary…BUT NOT SUSHI! (laughing his lungs out!)

What does style means to you?
Being comfortable. Not only with what you are wearing but specially with yourself. For me style is something that represents you. But it’s mainly being comfortable with who you are and with what you decide to cover up your body with. And I’m sure it isn’t the same for everyone but we have to embrace our differences and celebrate them!

Who’s your life reference?
My parents…obviously.
I can’t choose neither one nor the other because both of them have good things and bad things like everyone, but the good things from one and the good things from the other complete my whole life references.

What’s the Band / Music Style / Spotify playlist that inspires you?
(after a long…very long silence)…Fleetwood Mac, all the albums, some musics from one album, other musics from other albums…I don’t know, I just imagined my life in a movie and the soundtrack of the movie for me would be Fleetwood Mac, I started travelling in my thoughts!
I created a playlist in Spotify called “coolpool” and It combines some of my favourite tunes from last year and previous ones and that’s my day-to-day playlist.

Any guilty pleasure worth mentioning?
I have none…I think…I’m a very good boy, very pure.
(after another very long moment of silence…) I’m really lazy! Because it’s comfortable being lazy, I know…it’s f*cked, sometimes I don’t feel like going that “extra mile” just because I’m comfortable. But I’m conscious of my laziness so it’s a healthy laziness, it’s not a guilty pleasure! It’s a….guilty not guilty (laughing!)