TUJU MASTERS SEASONAL APPROACH TO COOKING

words by MAREK BARTEK

At TUJU, the idea of a fixed menu feels almost irrelevant. Chef Ivan Ralston approaches cooking through the lens of seasonality in its most literal sense, building tasting menus that shift in response to the natural cycles of southeast Brazil.

Rather than working to a calendar, TUJU operates across four overlapping “seasons” — humidity, rain, wind and drought — allowing ingredients to appear, disappear and return when they reach their peak. The rainy season menu, for instance, leaned into produce shaped by humidity, from tomato to mango and lamb, but it functions less as a standalone moment and more as part of a continuous, evolving system.

What sets TUJU apart is how deeply this philosophy is embedded. The restaurant runs alongside its own research institute, dedicated to studying Brazilian ingredients and food systems, which feeds directly into the kitchen. It gives the cooking a sense of intention, without tipping into something overly conceptual. Flavours are clean and deliberate, with a focus on letting each ingredient hold its own. Even at its most technical, the menu avoids unnecessary complexity, favouring clarity over showmanship — a balance that’s harder to achieve than it sounds, yet somehow TUJU mastered.

Since reopening in 2024, TUJU has reaffirmed its position as one of Brazil’s most compelling restaurants, holding two Michelin stars alongside a Green Star. Here, seasonality isn’t treated as a trend or talking point, but as the founding principle everything else follows.