Alex Atala

{{Short description|Brazilian chef}}

{{Infobox person

|name = Alex Atala

|image = Alex atala (15751919598).jpg

|alt =

|caption =

|birth_name = Milad Alexandre Mack Atala

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|6|3|df=yes}}

|birth_place = São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil

|death_date =

|death_place =

|other_names =

|known_for = Chef of D.O.M.

|occupation = Chef, restaurateur

}}

Milad Alexandre Mack Atala (born June 3, 1968) is a Brazilian chef of Palestinian and Irish ancestry, who runs the restaurant D.O.M. (Latin abbreviation of Deo optimo maximo) in São Paulo. In May 2012, D.O.M. was rated the 4th best restaurant in the world by the S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants,{{Cite web|title=The World's 50 Best Restaurants {{!}} The List and Awards|url=https://www.theworlds50best.com/list/1-50|access-date=2021-03-07|website=UI - 50B - Restaurants - GLOBAL|language=en}} published by Restaurant magazine. His establishment also holds the title of "Acqua Panna Best Restaurant In South America." He's known for transforming traditional Brazilian dishes, adapting French and Italian culinary techniques to native Brazilian ingredients. Atala also hosted a television show on Brazilian TV channel GNT.

In 2013, he founded Atá, an institute about relation with food, with Roberto Smeraldi and Carlos Alberto Ricardo, among others.{{Cite web |url=http://www.institutoata.org.br/ |title=ATÁ |access-date=2018-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429214837/http://www.institutoata.org.br/ |archive-date=2018-04-29 |url-status=dead }} In 2019, Atala and his institute were accused of misappropriating the name "Cerrado vanilla" by registering it as a commercial name at the Brazilian Institute for Industrial Property (INPI), without prior consultation to rural communities who traditionally use the ingredient in their food cultures.[https://deolhonosruralistas.com.br/2019/07/17/instituto-de-alex-atala-registra-marcas-da-baunilha-do-cerrado-alimento-tradicional-dos-quilombolas/ Alex Atala registra marcas da baunilha do Cerrado, alimento tradicional dos quilombolas]