Co-owner, manager and son of the late Macanese* doyenne and celebrity chef Aida de Jesus (aka Dona Aida to her friends and admirers), Manuel António de Jesus told the Post in an interview yesterday that Cozinha Aida is set to close its doors tomorrow.
The restaurant is located a courtyard off Avenida de Sidónio Pais. A month after Dona Aida passed away in March 2021 at the age of 105, de Jesus opened Cozinha Aida in her honour, continuing to serve authentic Macanese food** using her original recipes.
According to de Jesus, known as Jito to his friends, the kitchen has occupied part of the courtyard for many years, even prior to when he took over the restaurant. Wanting to remove the kitchen from courtyard, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) has demanded that the kitchen be moved inside the restaurant, with de Jesus pointing out that this would make continuing the business impossible and would take one third of its already limited space. “This [the restaurant] is such a small space. If you move the kitchen back here, there is no way you can do the business”.
Moreover, outdoor seating, which has always been part of the dining experience there for over 35 years, was no longer allowed, de Jesus said, adding that Fire Services Bureau (CB) officers had also inspected his restaurant and said that its outdoor tables and chairs were blocking the emergency exit. “I’m not disturbing anyone, but you cannot go against the law”, he said.
The restaurant has also been required by the bureau to switch to using electric stoves, which de Jesus pointed out would be difficult. Their cook, who had worked for Dona Aida for over 30 years, has always cooked with gas. “If you ask him to change to electric [stoves] now, that would be quite difficult”, de Jesus noted, while it would not be as easy to control the heat as when cooking with gas. Altogether, this would require the chef to learn everything from scratch, de Jesus said.
Left with no choice, the decision to close was made and de Jesus lamented: “I feel very sad. Definitely. All my effort for the past three years is going down the drain.” However, he remained optimistic that this does not signify the end of Cozinha Aida (“Aida’s Kitchen”).
Although it won’t be easy due to the potential challenges such as high rent and finding an area that allows outdoor seating, de Jesus was adamant: “I will definitely look for another space somewhere around here. If I can find one, I will open again”, something that all his many loyal patrons want him to do, he remarked. “Cozinha Aida won’t stop here for sure”.
*Customarily, the term “Macanese” denotes Macau’s community of mixed Portuguese and Asian descent, including their culture and cuisine, as well as their diaspora.
**Macanese cookery is a fusion cuisine dating back centuries featuring Portuguese, Chinese, Malay, Indian and other Asian ingredients and recipes.
Manuel António de Jesus poses in front of a portrait of his mother Dona Aida at Cozinha Aida yesterday. – Photos: Rui Pastorin
This photo taken yesterday shows the outdoor seating of the restaurant.
