“I’m more passionate about music and cinema than architecture – for me, architecture was just an excuse, an easy way to relate with other people. Of course I love what I do, otherwise I wouldn’t have been doing it for so long but the fact is that I have several passions. The world is too diverse to stick to just one thing.

My relationship with food is very deep and has led me to work on various design projects for several restaurants in Brazil and abroad, including the iconic Fasano hotel in São Paulo. I love comfort food, real food, nothing that’s molecular, no foams or infusions – I hate that. Food needs to be delicious when seen and eaten. Meals have always played an important role in my house. We are Jews, originally from Poland, and food has always brought the whole family around the table. Everyone has always cooked very well in my house. My grandmother was an amazing cook and my mother – who is 85 years old – still makes wonderful recipes. My father passed away a decade ago; he lived an interesting life.

During the Second World War he took refuge with his family in Poland’s countryside, escaping the Nazis. Before coming to Brazil, he spent about two years in Italy and it was there that he learned about the concept behind Italian food: simple but full of tradition. Take a look at the main course I chose for my hypothetical last meal: a costoletta di vitello alla Milanese [breaded calf cutlet] – there’s nothing more simple than that. But what flavour. A classic at the Fasano, it’s been on its menu since the beginning, my absolute favourite. I’m mad for breaded food. If you put two dishes in front of me to choose from and one of them is breaded, I will definitely go for that one.

Before the cutlet I would eat a pastel [fried pastry filled with meat or cheese] as a starter, with a glass of cachaça at Botequim do Hugo. It is an absolutely brilliant place, managed by the same family since 1927. I like places that have personality. Places where the owner thinks about the environment with the same concern that he thinks about the food.

My dessert would be a capricho; it is made with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, marshmallow and farofa [toasted manioc flour] at Frevinho, a classic restaurant in the city where true Paulistanos gather. Here I enjoy the complete dining experience: the taste of the food, the location, the original aesthetics – it all makes sense. I usually pick the restaurants because of their history and soul, regardless whether the place is chic or tacky. That’s why I chose three completely different places for my last meal, which I would share with my daughter, Paula. She is 30 years old and a theatre actress. These restaurants balance each other out; together they’re a great complement – just as life should be.”