language , he wanted to rediscover our roots . I ’ d also like to do so , come to Italy and stay there for a while ; I haven ’ t had the chance yet , but I hope it will come very soon , perhaps next year , after the Bocuse d ' Or finals ».
Have you ever been to Italy ? « Yes , but only once . I know Italian cuisine a little , I love it . It ’ s the richest in flavours ( or perhaps I believe it is because I ’ m half Italian !). I love burrata , my favourite dessert is tiramisu and I have a real passion for carpaccio ».
Do you know the most famous chefs , like Bottura , Alajmo , Cracco and so on ? « I know them . When I was in Italy I tried to dine in Modena at Bottura ’ s Osteria Francescana , but it was full . Last year Alajmo was in Brazil but I wasn ’ t here ; I like his book , his photographer , Sergio Coimbra , is from Brazil . Cracco too is a great chef , I ’ d say he ’ s almost an artist . I love the way they all work , they ’ re a big source of inspiration for me . I hope to meet them some day ».
Where does your passion for cooking come from ? « My parents Luiz and Marly have a restaurant in Maceió , the city where I ’ ve always lived . It ’ s called Parmegianno . I prepare Brazilian-Italian food . Maceió is a small city by the sea and the restaurant serves , on top of a typical food from my country such as feijoada , also lots of seafood ... But we don ’ t forget our origins so we also have Italian dishes such as pasta and pizza in the menu . I believe my passion was thus born at home , in our restaurant ; this influenced my decision to continue down this road . When I finished my normal education , I moved to Sao Paolo to study culinary arts ».