Five Delicious Bites With Chef Camila Rinaldi

If you’ve ever wondered how to transition into hospitality, take a page from Chef Camila Rinaldi and volunteer at the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD). Our latest Leisurely partner, Camila is excited to welcome Leisurely members to experience a taste of her native Brazil by highlighting yucca through a series of dishes - except raw yucca, which is poisonous so don’t ever eat that!

In advance of her upcoming Leisurely experience on March 8th , Camila took the time to share with us her journey to New York City, her passion for the zero waste movement, and where to find Brazilian treats like the chicken stuffed fried dough coxinha in her new hometown.

1. What inspired you to become a chef and move to New York City to pursue your passion?

I am from Brazil and graduated in advertising back in my country. I was very unhappy with that life and cooking was a hobby for the weekends or on those days I needed to unwind from work. When I moved to NYC I couldn’t work due to my visa - I had a spouse visa. That’s when I joined the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) volunteer program. This way, I could attend events at the museum for a small price: volunteer work. I started helping Chef John Hutt in the kitchen and fell in love with it. He took me under his wings and taught me everything about becoming a chef. I used to watch a lot of cooking TV shows - like Masterchef Australia, Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver. I loved the simplicity especially from these chefs. They still inspire me a lot.

2. Your Leisurely experience showcases yucca through a series of dishes, from savory to sweet. Can you tell us more about why you love working with this ingredient specifically? Why is yucca an important ingredient for those who are unfamiliar with it?

Yucca is very important in my country. It grows abundantly and it has been used ever since, especially by the natives. We use the whole root. If you are making tucupi - one of the sauces that I will be showcasing - you will end up with two byproducts - the tapioca starch and the yucca pulp. Both are dried and then made into a flour that will also be used in other preparations throughout the menu.

Fried yucca is Camila’s favorite. “I especially love the small crispy bits. It reminds me of my childhood going out to eat with my family - my mom always said that making yucca fries at home was a lot of work so I would only enjoy this in restaurants,” recalls Rinaldi.

Tucupi, a sauce made with yucca extract that Camila will feature as part of her upcoming Leisurely experience

3. Why is it important for you to teach Leisurely members about Brazilian culture through food?

Brazil is such a big country and here I noticed we are not on the gastronomy map. Yes, we have a couple internationally renowned chefs, like Alex Atala, but people don’t know what Brazilians eat on a daily basis. Our cuisine is so wide and we have many influences like African, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Japanese. In the beginning of my career I didn’t want to be the Brazilian chef that only cooks Brazilian food, but now I want to reconnect with my country and spread all the delicious dishes my country has to offer.

4. I know you are an advocate for the “zero-waste” movement. Tell me why this is important to you, and if you have any easy tips for home chefs to reduce waste, please let us know.

I think I fell in love with it because I was living on a budget and I saw a broccoli stalk on my counter and thought: it’s not possible that this isn’t edible. This was much before I became a chef. I started to research and found many things I was throwing away and I could be using and saving money. Also this made me think about the landfills situation and how difficult it can be to compost in the city. I believe we buy a lot of food on impulse and we don’t think about everything that can be done with what we have. I understand we live in a fast paced society and that’s why I am more than happy to help anyone with this matter. We are creature of habits so chances are you are buying the same ingredients every week - but how can we make the most out of it and nourish ourselves is what moves me.

5. Can you share a few of your favorite places to enjoy Brazilian cuisine and culture in NYC?

When I miss a homemade meal I go to Rio Market, in Astoria. The market is like being transported to Brazil and on the side they have this restaurant that tastes like my aunt's food. When I want to show Brazil to my friends I go to Berimbau in the West Village. Also I live close by Petisco Brazuca and they sell coxinha - it’s a small fried dough with chicken filling - so comforting and tastes like home.

Chef Camila Rinaldi’s Leisurely experience will take place March 8 beginning at 7:30 pm. To reserve a seat, head over to our Leisurely events page.