When did it all start?

Well, I did not decide to cook & host to nourish people’s stomachs only… it initially began as way for me to keep the tradition of my ancestry alive, especially the heritage of my grandmothers’ homes. I never went to any culinary school or took technical courses for cooking and hosting. Cooking and baking always came very naturally to me. Knowing my grandmothers’ skills and growing up in their kitchens, it’s of no surprise to me that it’s in my blood.  Hosting and cooking has always been very intuitive to me, and everything just took off after I made the decision to nourish these gifts that I had been given and share them with the world. I don’t do it to benefit others, not directly any way. I do it because I have no other way, I had to listen to my heart.

In Brazil we like to say that the kitchen is the heart of the home, it is the place where traditions are passed down from generation to generation and the memories and flavors stay in our hearts forever. But my kitchen is very different of the one I grew up in, the one of my ancestors. I decided not to use animal sourced materials, and maintain strictly vegan catering. Because of this, I almost don’t have any traditional family recipes to use (with the exception of my mother’s amazing aubergine antipasti).

So, what are the traditions that I am passing to the next generation? What was it in my family’s kitchen that inspires and empowers me?

The tradition of strong women. They are the essence of my family – brave women, full of faith, devoted to their family and generation after generation this tradition has been passed down. I am lucky to have grown up with the presence of many of these incredible women in the kitchen, uniting the family around the table to celebrate and pray and give thanks for the amazing meal that was being served. And more than just feeding their family these women opened their kitchens to offer food and blessings to people who were less fortunate than they were.

This powerful tradition started with one specific woman – Julia – not me, but my great grandmother. I am named after her.  My entire family views her as a symbol of bravery and strength. Julia had an arranged marriage with her uncle at the age of 14 and at around the age of 23 her husband was murdered, leaving her 6 months pregnant and a mother to an additional 5 small children. At such a young age she probably felt scared or lost, but that is not how she is remembered. As the mother of 6 kids, 2 of whom suffered from serious mental disorders, she unified the family and was able to provide for them financially, completely on her own. This protection and strong sense of unity is still very present in our family traditions today.

Having a strong matriarch as the primary guiding symbol of my family is a real inspiration for me. Aside from the ritual celebration of eating together every day, I am motivated to continue the tradition of brave empowered women in my lifetime, and for my children. I often wonder how, at such a young age, my great grandmother succeeded in maintaining the family property, while lovingly raising and educating her children, by herself, without resorting to distraction or despair? I believe that her faith, in her own life and in her own abilities are what kept her going.  Ultimately, I am blessed to have her as my inspiration for everything I do.

I asked to the women of my family for elements of our bisavó‘s home that are vivid in their memories. They brought me the most beautiful and tender stories of the whole family gathering to prepare pamonha (Brazilian tamale), the Christmas evening together and not surprisedly the coffee on the wood stove.

Brewed coffee through a filter cloth is one (and if not the main) tradition I keep in my daily morning routine. Every morning my coffee is made in the Brazilian traditional method, by brewing ground coffee through a filter cloth, and as a bonus I have the sound of cock singing in my garden greeting the new day to come. And so the tradition is continue like a flame that never stops.

The women in my family have a vivid memory of a blue enamel kettle routinely placed on the wood stove.

It is a memory of a constant invitation for a warm ceremonial coffee in Julia’s kitchen.

If asked why I brew my daily coffee using this traditional method, I would simply answer that it is all I’ve ever known. It’s the smell that brings me back home to a memory of core family tradition, laughter & togetherness.