Cátia’s cooking follows the seasons and whatever’s good that week, rather than a fixed menu. She keeps things simple, letting the ingredients do the talking. They are fresh, colourful, Mediterranean in spirit. Dietary needs are incorporated from the start rather than bolted on, so everyone eats the same meal at the table. Whether it’s breakfast before a hike or a slower dinner after yoga, the food becomes part of the retreat’s rhythm, not just a break in it.

Cátia grew up on Madeira, where food was always tied to family. Her earliest memories involve standing on a stool to reach the worktop while baking with her Nana, and Sunday afternoons at her Grandma’s with the table covered in shared plates. She went on to build a career in banking, but she found her real talent and passion in the kitchen, self-taught, cooking for the people around her. Once she discovered that, she never looked back.

Guests tend to describe her as warm, calm and attentive and the same care goes into a candlelit dinner as into a packed lunch before a hike. For Cátia, the best part of a retreat is watching people slow down around the table and leave feeling nourished by more than just the food.

Her retreat motto: “My greatest joy is seeing people leave the table happier than when they arrived.”

Extra offerings:
On retreat, Cátia runs interactive cooking workshops introducing guests to Portuguese and Madeiran flavours and simple techniques to take home.

Catia’s favourite retreats:
Madeira, her home, and still her favourite place to cook, where the mountains, ocean and local produce shape every menu.

Costa Rica, drawn to the Pura Vida way of living, which aligns closely with how she believes food should be experienced.