“Raul cooked for three creative writing and yoga retreats that I programmed and facilitated on during 2018. His eye for detail, passion, expertise and flavour is beyond any other chef I have met before. He has a vast amount of knowledge and can produce food to suit the needs of all the guests, as well as bringing passion, humour and celebration to all he does. Raul is a unique chef, a whirlwind of creativity in the kitchen, as much as his food is phenomenal and incredibly varied. You can taste all the love and care he puts into each dish in every mouthful you taste. Professional, hardworking and incredibly skilled, I can not recommend him enough.”

— Rebecca Tantony, writer, curator and facilitator

“Amazing! Since the day I met Raul at Yogarosa 4 weeks ago I’ve been totally free from: caffeine, diary, eggs and refined sugar. I used to eat eggs every day even though I was vegan and sometimes I’d had cheat-meals if we went to a restaurant. Every day since I’ve been home I’ve made salads and wholesome food and I want to say thank you for inspiring my passion for food back into my life. I’ve felt so much energy eating this way I’m so grateful to you! ”

— Denny

“I met Raul in 2017 at the Yoga retreat Vale de Moses in Portugal.
I was immediately charmed by his enthusiasm and humor. And when I tasted what he cooked for us, I was blown away by the flavors and the love that he puts in his food. So I asked him to come and cook at my own retreat in the Netherlands. And I was so happy he said yes! We had a great time and everyone at the retreat loved him and adored his food.
Raul also inspired me to cook vegan and to experiment in the kitchen with oriental spices and lots of flavor.
Have fun in the kitchen, he always says. And that is exactly what I do now and what he does as well when he is cooking.
When you taste Rauls food, you taste love.”

— Rika Maris

“I attended a yoga retreat in 2016 at Vale de Moses in Portugal for a week, where Raúl cooked for us. He prepared three vegan meals per day for all of us with such care and love that all guests were always looking forward to eating time. His meals are full of color and flavor. For breakfast, he prepared a very complete and savoury porridge with fruits and spices. For lunch, he made different menus everyday, indian, mexican, spanish, etc., he made 8-10 different dishes per meal. For dinner he usually made soup, which was very comforting and good. Raúl is a really good cook that takes his job seriously and always tries to give his best to please his guests. He is also a very nice person that puts a lot of passion in his work. I really hope everybody could try his creations.”

— Aida Gonzalez Palomino

“In 2016 I spent a week in Portugal at Vale de Moses for a yoga retreat. Raul was the cook there at that time and I have to say, his delicious meals were the best part of my stay. From his divine milk rice in the morning (still dreaming about this one) to his local plant based lunches and colourful dinners. Everything was made so mindfully and with creative influences from all around the world. It really was, as he so fittingly called it, the love of the day!”

— Malin Klein

“Raul visited my home for my birthday and held the most amazing cookery day for a group of friends. He shared his exemplary knowledge of ayurvedic combinations of herbs and spices and the whole day was an explosion of colour and flavours and aromas in my kitchen. His knowledge of both Mediterranean and Indian recipes was second to none and he shared so many hints and tips as to how he works in the kitchen – we all learned so much! As he cooked and talked and entertained us, we got to sample all the ingredients, and then we were lucky enough to eat the results at the end. The food was absolutely delicious, his company is charming and his culinary knowledge and experience are inspirational. He has a way of combining spices and colours and flavours to create magical results and his stories about his cooking experiences, or the heritage of the dishes made the whole day fascinating from start to finish. I also joined Raul’s Zoom cookery classes during the 2020 lockdown and they were one of the highlights of my week each week!”

— Liisa Sular