REFERENCE LETTER 2

First of all, I would like to mention my background and to emphasize that occasionally I have the pleasure of writing a letter of recommendation for exceptional cookers, and thus I do so now on behalf of Adriana Marquez de Avelar.

I have such a long kitchen experience, had started my carrier with 17 years old at Ilha da Madeira in Portugal and then I had worked with a known chef, accompanying him on Hotel’s kitchen start ups around the world: Canadá, United Arab Emirates, Spain, France and Italia. Then in 1997 I’ve moved to Paris, work at Hotel Plaza Athéné with Chef Alain Ducasse. I’ve started as a cooker, without say a word in French then, two years later I became a sous-chef. After 8 years I came back to Brazil and worked in Ouro Minas hotel chain. Now I am the head chef of Oliva Restaurant, which is the only restaurant of Hotel Presidente, the most luxurious hotel of the city of Uberlândia, whose kitchen is renowned from Guia 4 Rodas as the best restaurant of the city.

Uberlândia is located in the western part of Minas Gerais, in the region known as the Triângulo Mineiro, one of Brazil’s richest agricultural and livestock regions.

Among Brazilian states, Minas Gerais has the third largest economy, accounting for 9.1% of Brazil’s Gross Domestic Product. The Uberlândia metropolitan area comprises a consumer market of 3.5 million inhabitants and forms a link between the great urban centers of the coast and the hinterland of the country. At present 50 million people live within a 600-km radius of Uberlândia and help generate almost two thirds of Brazil’s GDP (about US$1,313 trillion, the equivalent of two Argentinean economies). Moreover, Uberlândia’s strategic location in Brazil’s central region provides it with an excellent logistics infrastructure, which in turn provides easy access to quality ingredients from all Brazilian regions.

Because of this dynamic economy and seeing a great opportunity, two (2) years ago I resigned from an important hotel chain in order to start promoting the culture and art of haute cuisine in Uberlândia. And it was precisely in this business that I met Adriana Avelar about a year ago, when she was a chef at Uai Tchê. Recognizing her as a potential star, I invited her to cook with me on some occasions. Wanting to deepen her knowledge of haute cuisine, Adriana soon asked to work with me full time, and of course I was very pleased to have such an excellent professional as part of my team at the Oliva Restaurant.

As the head chef in the kitchen, I worked closely with Adriana for 6 months. I say with total frankness that in my 25 years of kitchen experience, Adriana is the most talented young chef I’ve ever worked with. She began with me at night as a second cooker; however, some months later her supervisor informed me that she literally had nothing more to teach Adriana: in terms of knowledge and competence she had learned everything. Hearing this, I immediately transferred her to the breakfast and lunch shifts, as I had been looking for someone exceptional to take over those duties.

Adriana proved her mastery of various cooking styles, but equally important, showed that she had the leadership skills to make the kitchen and its staff of 4 people function perfectly. Thus, in a short time, Adriana became my right arm.

Besides that, she was never late for work, regularly volunteered to cover her coworkers' shifts and always took her job very seriously. As one can assume, it is rare to find a cook who sees beyond the seeming monotony of an entry-level job and has the work ethic to take it to the next level. I am fortunate to have had a skilled and dedicated professional like Adriana working in my kitchen. And since her personality and intellect must find expression in a number of areas, her decision to apply for admission to your Culinary School makes perfect sense. As a cooker I know how wonderful it is to work with interesting and dedicated people, those filled with ambition, hungry for knowledge, and striving for greatness. This is how I see Adriana.

This is exactly the right time for her to gain foreign experience, internationalize her résumé, and develop her natural talent. She has a gift for cooking, and practicing with perseverance and hard study will turn her into the superb cooker she is destined to be, ready to take over a great kitchen in Brazil when she gets back.

Therefore, for all of the above-mentioned reasons, I give Adriana my most enthusiastic recommendation and hope that you will consider favorably her application for admittance to your Culinary School.

Should you wish to contact me for any reason, I remain at your disposal.

Best regards,

Marco Soares

http://www.hotelpresidente.com.br/presidente/oliva.php#