Ygor Lopes

At Senac, the craft foundation was formal, but the work that followed was built in service: Lopes began as an intern at Pajuçara Praia Hotel in Maceió, Brazil, where the line and the cadence of service became part of the daily routine. From there he moved to Beato in São Paulo, Brazil as cook, then joined the food team at Google, with each role adding another stage of kitchen discipline rather than a break in direction.

The next stretch moved through Spain, first as chef at Westin Palace in Madrid, Spain, then as chef at Nerua in Spain, and later as chef at Quique Dacosta in Spain. Those kitchens demanded consistency and precision, and Lopes built his path through that pressure. He also worked as a caterer at catering in Brazil, carrying the same attention to detail into a different format. Today, Ygor is chef and co-owner and chef in charge of the kitchen and artisanal charcuterie of AE! Café & Cozinha.

At AE! Cozinha, the lunch menu changes with the sort of control that comes from repetition rather than display. Picadinho de carne with vegetables, saffron rice, beans, and brioche farofa with herbs appears alongside fish of the day with curry sauce, while other documented plates include peixe do dia grelhado ao molho de mexilhão e açafrão espanhol with arroz de coco and farofa de dendê, tortelli de beterraba com queijo de cabra, and musse de cumaru with compota de cupuaçu and bolo de castanha-do-pará.

The cooking stays specific, but it is built to feel familiar on the table. The charcuterie is part of the house’s working identity, not an add-on. Smoked ham and mortadella, served with pickles and naturally leavened bread, show the same discipline as the kitchen around them. That overlap between service, preparation, and house-made production is what gives AE! Café & Cozinha its shape.

Ygor's honors include Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024).