Interview by Rui Pastorin
Over a year since closing its doors, Macanese* restaurant Cozinha Aida’s bright orange sign in the courtyard off Avenida de Sidónio Pais is again lit up as it makes its long-awaited return, with owner and manager Manuel António de Jesus continuing his commitment to keeping his mother’s, Macanese doyenne and celebrity chef Aida de Jesus**, cooking and legacy alive.
Though only providing takeaways for now, it is still full steam ahead for de Jesus, known as Jito among friends, and his staff as they again start serving favourites like minchi, feijoada, chicken curry and tacho, which is now available daily, all the while keeping the dishes authentic to his mother’s recipes.
The restaurant closed on February 27 last year upon changes required by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) and the Fire Services Bureau (CB) that would have made keeping the business challenging.
Since its closure, loyal customers have been missing the restaurant and its dishes, de Jesus told the Post during an interview at the restaurant yesterday, constantly pushing him to reopen. However, he couldn’t find another place. But as fate would have it, the business that took over the restaurant’s premises gave the space back to de Jesus, giving Cozinha Aida (“Aida’s Kitchen”) its restart.
Now with the restaurant’s return, de Jesus underlined that “everything is new” from the layout to its kitchen, which is now tucked indoors and “all electric” instead of gas, ensuring that everything is operating according to the law.
However, the work to bring the restaurant back to its full capacity continues after having to clean up after the previous owners, with redecoration of the dining area and renovation still ongoing in the VIP room. More staff are also needed before its patrons can again dine at the restaurant. But regardless, Jito said, he is excited and happy to have Cozinha Aida up and running again. “It’s not easy because this time, it’s only me doing everything. And I thought I could make it [happen], and I did. I really did.”
And while there were those who opposed the idea of him reopening given his age as well as being already busy with his restaurant Miramar in Coloane and an advertising company, de Jesus, 78, said he still wants to keep it going to continue providing authentic and typical Macanese food in Macau, where there are some that offer it without keeping its original taste and even presentation. “Macanese food is actually homemade food”, he said, noting that keeping the food the way it is meant to be is part of what kept people coming back, while another aspect is the ingredients they use, keeping it all natural. “I’m preserving what my mother used to cook”.
As he continues to keep the business running, de Jesus also reiterated that even from the beginning, it was never about making money, saying that he hadn’t always made a profit from the time he first ran the restaurant. But what matters most is that he preserved his mother’s recipes.
As the sign outside the restaurant has got some people asking for more details about its reopening, de Jesus said more information is set to be announced on Facebook. In the meantime, for those missing Cozinha Aida’s food, de Jesus said: “They are all welcome back”, along with others wanting to try Macanese cuisine.
*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. - MPD
**The “Godmother of Macanese Cuisine”, Aida de Jesus was also known as Dona Aida to her friends and admirers. A month after Dona Aida passed away in March 2021 at the age of 105, Jito opened the restaurant on Avenida de Sidónio Pais (士多鳥拜斯大馬路) in her honour, continuing to serve authentic Macanese food using her original recipes. – MPD
Cozinha Aida owner and manager Manuel António de Jesus poses in front of the business’s logo featuring Macanese doyenne and celebrity chef Aida de Jesus (aka Dona Aida) at the takeaway area. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
A sign hangs above the Cozinha Aida restaurant.
