This website is dedicated to my mother, my best friend and partner in crime.  She taught me how to cook and how to respect food.  My love for food is an expression of all the wonderful times we have together in the kitchen, talking about food, creating recipes, sharing stories and…… arguing.  Obrigada por tudo – Te Amo!!

The short version:

I’m a girl who loves to eat and cook, and I want to share my love with you.  Oh, and I’m Brazilian… but I live in LA.

The long(er) version:

Okay, so. . .   I thought about leaving it at that, but as you will learn via this blog, I am also a gal with lots to say. Pretty much always.  So here you go! I hope you enjoy the full version of ME!  But, if you don’t want to read this whole big thing, now you know I am a girl who likes to eat and loves to cook.  And, that’s sort of enough.  I’m okay with that.  But don’t forget!  I’m from Brazil and I live in LA.

I’m from Rio de Janeiro, and I’m sure you’ve heard Brazilians know how to throw a good festa.  This was very much the reality in my home.  After working all day, my mother came home every night to feed her hungry husband, her three children, and all the neighborhood kids we would bring home pretty much all the time.  I always cherished hanging out with her in the kitchen while she made feijoada, or hanging out in the backyard with my dad, watching him season the meat and barbecue the best picanha in the universe!  Our house was always full and we were always celebrating life, and each other, always with lots of food!

When I moved to the U.S, I mostly just cooked when I wanted a taste of home.  But, my friends said they loved my food, and I realized how much I loved cooking for them.  Soon, I was cooking more and more, and falling more and more in love with it.  My love of food got me through the hardest times of my life, and made the best times even better!  Cooking is how I found myself.  The kitchen is where I came alive. So, here we are…

And now what?

Well, I graduated from UCLA (class of 2010 hollerrrr) and got myself a big corporate job.  In 2014, I went to culinary school, built up my home cooking skills, learned the ins and outs, worked a few kitchens and now I want to share my passion, technique, and experience with you.  If you’re hungry for more, keep coming back to see what I’ve been chopping, frying, grilling, baking, eating – you name it.  Here, it’s always a festa and the important thing is to have fun!  So, look around, get cooking and divirta-se!