A Star Raises!!
The Brazilian Model/ chef Larissa Costa is conquering the City of Angels!
I'm honored to share with all of you guys a great ONE ON ONE interview and photos of delicious dishes made by a chef/model friend of mine, Larissa Costa, that has been conquering high end paladar into her cooking world in Los Angeles.
The secret??
I guess a combination of her magical hands and her good taste for food. Ah, also, having no cooking classes on her resume can be a secret too!
You must be wondering, how come,right?
Well, she is that good that no classes are necessary. That's my opinion!
She established her way to cook by creating her own style. That's what is so unique about her culinary!
You would not believe how GOOD her food tastes. Seriously!
Couple weeks ago I went to one of her weekly "Dinner nights", which consists in her arriving at the dinner's house and start cooking from scratch (coming up with a new recipe while she is cooking).
Pretty crazy, huh?
I asked her what was her goal each dinner? She said: To surprise the guests and herself with the results of the food!
Well, let me tell you a bit more details about this specific dinner that Larissa cooked that I enjoyed so much.
It took place at Michael Scott's house. His house is pretty known for hosting photoshoots and pool parties during the summer. It's a beautiful mansion on the hills, huge rooms, everything else so gorgeous, including the kitchen.
I got there and Larissa started setting up the tools and ingredients to initiate her journey. We started talking non stop while she was cooking.I learned so much about her just by talking and watching. It was fun!
I even helped her a little bit in the kitchen (as you can see in the photos). Hahahahah.
Who would refuse an assistant like me? (LOL).
After hours of cooking, tasting and preparing plates, she was done and ready to join me and the other guests in the dinner table!(photos attached bellow)
Dinner is served - Picture time!!
One thing important to remember:
Not everybody can cook and impress famous people like: actresses, directors, producers and big time business men, but Larissa can, she has been and it seems like the sky is the limit for this girl!
The model/chef is managed by Marina Masowietsky, that keeps her busy and focused in the right direction of her career!
I believe it's all about being confident in yourself, knowing the right people, and being in right place and in time. That's what happened to Larissa!
Cheers!
Here is our one on one interview:
Giselle Claudino: Larissa, when did you discover your passion for cooking? For culinary in general?
Larissa: At a really young age actually. When I was a little toddler still, my grandmother would make amazing food every meal, all from scratch.
She would take me to the kitchen to help her cook and bake, and i always remember those as the sweetest memories of my childhood.
We would make pastries, cakes, and sometimes she would even let me knit the bread dough! To me, it was the highlight of the day!
Larissa: Well, it was all an accident actually. I was at the time very involved in my modeling career, my agency was getting a little networking Sunday lunch at a film directors house.
I offered to cook for the event, and as a response they laughed at me and said.."hmm models can't cook".
So to me, it was challenge accepted! I made a delicious feijoada, the crowd loved it!
I must confess i didn't expect for it to be so popular in a sense, because as confident as i am about my cooking, feijoada is a pretty complex, strange dish, especially for "non Brazilians". So one week later i was asked to cook again for the same director, then the directors friend hired me for his own private dinner, next thing i know I'm cooking for really big names in the entertainment industry.
As for the aftermath, one year later i am becoming a business owner! I'm still oblivious, it feels like it all began yesterday, but I am incredibly thankful!
Larissa: Definitely. Brazilian food is known not only for being well seasoned but also for having great aromas and textures!
We have really high standards for how food should taste in Brazil.
Also is part of our culture to make food with so much love and care that it really shows when you take your first bite!
Giselle Claudino: You’ve told me that your food is tasty but still have all the healthy ingredients. How do you manage to cook so healthy and still taste so rich and delicious? What’s the secret?
Larissa: The secret is to go the extra mile, when it comes to preparing food, i am never lazy!
I do it with love, and use real ingredients. Everything I cook is organic, seasonal, nothing is canned, artificial or processed.
Most of my food is plant based yet it is savory, colorful. i use a lot of fresh spices like cilantro, sage, thyme rosemary and ginger among many more!
They make it so the dish has its own personality and kick!
Giselle Claudino: In our conversation you confessed that all your recipes are created right there, in the moment you cooking. What you mean by that? You don’t follow any recipes or anything?
Larissa: Cooking to me is an Art, the pots and pans are my canvas.
Like most Art, it is to me very therapeutic , it is my meditation.
When I am cooking I feel like nothing else matters at the moment, all of my worries and concerns are gone.
when I cook I am simply expressing my feelings in each dish i prepare
. That is why it is extremely difficult for me to plan what I will make in advance or to follow recipes.
I like going with the flow. When I feel angry, the dishes can come out a little spicier, crunchier and tart.
when I am in love the food turns out more tender, creamy and the deserts tend to be chocolaty!
Larissa: So many people inspire me in this industry, but if I had to only name one, it would be Anthony Bourdain.
He is very a respected and accomplished chef but not only that he is also an incredible writer and he has a great sense of both humor and adventure. I love him.
Larissa: My inspiration and motivation is the smile on people's face when they take that first bite, it is priceless!
It makes me feel warm inside, so happy and accomplished !
The main corse that gets the most compliments is the "mukeka" its a cod fish and shrimp stew with coconut milk,
lots of cilantro, bell peppers, garlic, onions a bit of palm oil and some malagueta peppers. This dish is spicy, very aromatic and slightly sweet.
People absolutely love it!
Giselle Claudino: What’s the BEST comment you’ve gotten about your food from the people you’ve cooked for?
Larissa: Once I cooked for members of the royal family of Abu Dhabi and the prince (Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan) told me it was the best meal he has ever had, then a few weeks later after he was already back in the United Emirates he sent me a personal text message saying that every time he was hungry he thought of my food and thanked me again for the great dinner!
I was so flattered, this man had eaten at the best restaurants in the world yet was thanking me for the best meal of his life!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to follow Larissa on Twitter and like her page on facebook!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Scott's Beautiful House!
Dinner Guests
Don't forget to follow Larissa on Twitter and like her page on facebook!
- twitter: https://twitter.com/ChefLarissa
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChefLarissa
Visit Fabulous Channel.com to see more of Larissa Costa!
No comments:
Post a Comment