Alex Atala Awarded For 'Making A Difference'

Acclaimed chef Alex Atala has revolutionized Brazlian cuisine by using local Amazonian ingredients. His dedication to indigenous ingredients is what lead him to become the first chef to win the Make a Difference Award.

The award is given out my Brazilian newspaper O Globo. In it's 10th edtiion, the award honors Brazilians who have excelled in promoting development in various areas of the country. 

Atala rose to international fame for the unique food he serves at his restaurant D.O.M., which ranks fourth on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list and is known as the best restaurant in South America.

Although he trained as a chef in Europe, Atala returned to Brazil and made a name for himself using Amazonian ingredients like priprioca, a medicinal aromatic root the chef praised in the International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science.

Other indigenous ingredients Atala is fond of include the acai berry, cupuacu (a meon-like fruit related to the cacao tree with a creamy pulp) and pupunha, an exotic fruit that grows on palm trees.

Will D.O.M. become the best restaurant in the world? Find out when the 2013 World's 50 Best Restarurants list is announced on April 29th. FDL will stream the awards ceremony live from London so you won't miss a single moment of the action.

WATCH: Alex Atala Talks About His Passion For Amazonian Ingredients

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Via O Globo