Chef Dirceu Félix, reference in classical education in Curitiba, dies

Curitiba’s gastronomy is in mourning this Sunday (3) with the death of chef Dirceu Félix. A reference in teaching classic French cuisine, Dirceu was a professor at the European Center for almost two decades.

The chef, who worked in the kitchen of several hotels in Rio and São Paulo, also worked in other educational institutions in the city. So it is not an exaggeration to say that many of the cooks and chefs working today in Curitiba and Paraná passed through Dirceu Félix’s classroom.

Retired from teaching activities for around six years, Dirceu was a disciple of the classical French school. “His manuals were Escoffier and Carême. I joked that his second bible was books by these authors”, comments Rogério Gobbi, director of the European Center.

One of the oldest gastronomy schools in Curitiba, the European Center paid homage to Dirceu in 2013, when it named its main teaching kitchen after the chef professor. “He won over students in a very simple way and they always had great affection and consideration for Dirceu”, says Gobbi.

Dirceu Félix was 82 years old and died in Blumenau (SC). The burial is scheduled for 5pm this Sunday at Cemitério Vertical, in Curitiba.