At the Table with Rodrigo Oliveira

Rodrigo Oliveira is head chef at Mocotó, a São Paulo-based restaurant and cachaçaria where he has planted his roots firmly since he was just thirteen. Beyond its international fame, Mocotó is a time capsule of the award-winning chef’s earliest kitchen memories – and the proud creation of his father, “Zé.” You’ll find native Amazonian ingredients on this old school menu, where Rodrigo subtly showcases regional Brazilian food and drink with global muse, wearing only one thing: its natural beauty. Here, he dishes about dishes he craves, how he makes his creations stand out, and what he loves to eat. 

Dish you crave from your abuela (vovó): 

Biju de mandioca – A kind of pancake made with yucca dough.

Secret ingredient to make a dish pop: 

Tucupi – Fermented yucca stock traditionally made by our natives in the North of the country.

Favorite Latin restaurant in the U.S.:

Cucharamama, from chef Maricel Presilla in Hoboken, NJ. 

Favorite Latin restaurant in the world:

Amaz from Pedro Miguel Schiaffino in Lima, Peru.

Favorite city to eat: 

New York, for sure!

Secret to a perfect dinner party: 

Good ingredients, planning and care.

Brazilian cooking is:

Inclusive, diverse, healthy, fresh, colourful and delicious!

Biggest food indulgence: 

White truffle.

Favorite vegetable: 

Pumpikins, all types of it.

Best food memory: 

Ripe fruit under the trees in the sunny Northeast, Brazil, our homeland.

What to look for in good Brazilian food:

In one word: passion.

Ideal breakfast, lunch and dinner: 

Homemade food, simple, fresh and delicious.

Favorite Latin cocktail: 

Caipirinha, obviously! 

Favorite kitchen gadget: 

I’m old school, nothing more important than a knife.

Perfect song to cook to: 

Jazz or Bossa Nova, or both!

Your kitchen philosophy:

Keep it simple (and delicious!).

Most adventurous food you eat: 

Ants called tanajuras, from the inner lands in the Northeast.

Favorite fusion: 

Local cooking and global thinking.

Tip for at-home cooks:

Remember that at home we should be always cooking for pleasure, so don’t make it too complicated.