Quinta dos Sabores

The three-hectare property, located in the middle of São Miguel Island, between Ponta Delgada and Ribeira Grande, has been owned by Paulo Beck's family for a long time. "It was a heritage more or less available to be used." Faced with this opportunity, he decides to rehabilitate, together with his wife, Inês Sá da Bandeira, the houses and the vegetable garden, a fulfilled dream that they named Quinta dos Sabores.

In 2002, “the set of farmhouses were adapted for our dwelling” and both received the license for the Agro-Food Workshop, installed in the old cliffs, a small multifaceted space. Two years later, they took up residence on the property. “I am applying to a project for young farmers. The amount was enough for us to dedicate ourselves to agriculture”, reveals Paulo Beck, whose experience acquired in the hotel business is an advantage in addition to the agricultural aspect.

The agricultural area covers almost the entirety of Quinta dos Sabores. The immensity of vegetables – from the most differentiating to the most conventional ones –, all worked organically, are sown, and cultivated under good environmental practices and respect for seasonality is an established point. “The farm is a very large vegetable garden!” The coordinates are given by Paulo Beck and Inês Sá da Bandeira to Mr Eduardo, who works with the machines, on land, and to Mr Humberto, “a farmer with a handful!”

The destination of many of these products is the Agro-Food Workshop. “It is Dona Graça or Sandro Medeiros who cooks”, declares Paulo Beck, for whom Dona Graça “is a very good cook! She has been with us since the beginning, and we also have one more helper. At first, it was Inês and me who cooked, but now there's no time for that”. The menu is prepared daily, it includes “what's on the farm, to which we add good fish and good meat, which the Azores have. It is a traditional and balanced menu”, consisting of an appetizer, starter, soup, meat, fish and dessert. “For me, it's an asset to have all these vegetables close at hand. The fish is crazy! There is great diversity most of the time and we always have cod, which also makes a lot of sense, even when served to a tourist, but only when I don't have fish, because there are days when fishermen don't go to sea.”

Those who reserve one of the nine tables in this space only know the composition of the menu when they sit down. “The meal model corresponds to a formal dinner from our grandparents' time.” Paulo Beck and Inês Sá da Bandeira only need to know, in advance, the food restrictions and needs of each customer, since “we try to satisfy everyone”.

In the same space, the basket of the day is available for purchase, consisting of products picked that day, at Quinta dos Sabores. “I select thinking about salad, soup, accompanying other dishes, in addition to aromatic herbs, to season and make infusions. We adapt according to the needs of each family or establishment”, says Paulo Beck, also referring to the restaurants on the island of São Miguel, which are on his list of his customers.

“Then we have the accommodation”, installed in the rectangular building. This is Quinta dos Sabores Local Accommodation. There are two 1-bedroom apartments. "We decided to upgrade this part of the building, to give a quality offer." Now join the pool, in the middle of the farm, and the jacuzzi. “It is a farm that is a vegetable garden, with a restaurant and accommodation”, he concludes.