When the Jung family moved from Germany to Portugal more than 40 years ago, the idea was to have a house on the beach. There, above the sea, in the middle of a road that crosses Albufeira, with its back to the city, but with its doors open to anyone who wants to enter, the property was the space for a happy marriage and childhood. Klaus and Claudia allowed Joy, in the Algarve, to have a free and carefree childhood, integrated into nature, with the company of animals and an aesthetic and artistic sense that marks her to this day.
In the early 1980s, Claudia decided it was time to share with others what she had chosen to be her family residence, and began making the necessary changes so they could receive guests. His touch is still visible throughout the property today – the art scattered in the most unusual places, the discretion, the attention to detail and the comfort of those who pass by.
In the early 1990s, Dieter Koschina joined the project and has since become one of the property’s references. With Claudia, they think about the menus so that meals are not repeated because, “when we welcome people into our house, we also don’t serve them the same thing several times”, says Joy, Claudia’s daughter, as she leans back on the sofa. The sun shines on one of the warm days of October, and illuminates the porch where, in a few days, one of the highlights of the year at Vila Joya will take place: the Tribute to Koschina, the party that replaced the Tribute to Claudia, an event that between 2007 and 2017 paid homage to Joy’s mother, who has since passed away.
“This year we couldn’t help but celebrate the 30th anniversary of Koschina’s first star”, explains the businesswoman. “How many chefsaround the world, have had two Michelin stars for so many years? And that they are still alive? (Laughter) I don’t know. I asked a journalist friend in Germany to investigate, but it hasn’t been easy”, he says amusingly.
Joy is a head always on the move. While talking to us, he looks attentively at everything that is happening around him. Employees pass by almost unnoticed, in a kind of dance that blends with the wind. The tablecloths that are taken or spread out from the tables where breakfast was served (wrinkled) become smooth and wrinkle-free for subsequent meals. “I want to make an installation with the caviar cans we use. I asked our supplier to send me hundreds of them. I’m going to hang them, with custom-made mirrors glued on”he says while his eyes wander over the sea, far in the background. “And we’re also going to bring Harley Davidson motorbikes for one of the nights. Koschina loves the motorbikes. I asked friends, clients – of course I’ll have someone looking after them, so no one can touch them!”, he continues. “I invited chefs e bartenders from various places to challenge Koschina. He has to be challenged. It’s going to be really good, it’s going to be a party.”