Ricardo Fagundes Borelli
I am from São Paulo, Brazil, and I have been in the gastronomy business for 24 years. My passion for cooking started due to the influence of my father, who was an excellent amateur cook. One of my earliest memories related to food occurred when I was around 8 or 9 years old. My parents argued and went to bed without dinner. I woke up in the early morning hours, took the leftover food from the fridge, heated it, set the table with candles and flowers, and then woke them both up and insisted that they could only get up and eat after resolving their dispute. From then on, I realized that food brings people together.
When I was 14, my family faced a financial crisis and went bankrupt. We moved to the coast of São Paulo, where my parents opened a small bar that served homemade food. My father was the cook. It was there that I took my first steps in a “professional” kitchen, even though it was just in our garage. I often felt embarrassed to work alongside my parents, as was typical for someone my age. As time went by, I grew up, and by age 16, I needed to find work. I had the brilliant idea of selling sweet pies, even though I had never made one before. Remarkably, I managed to make a few sales, but like many young people, I soon lost interest and gave up.
When I turned 18, I joined the army, where I learned industrial cooking and how to prepare meals in large quantities. I was responsible for feeding 1,700 people, and during this experience, I realized that I could pursue a career in the culinary field. After completing my compulsory service, I decided to try life in Florianópolis and began working as a kitchen assistant in a restaurant. I learned a lot during my three years there. In 2006, I received a scholarship to study cooking at Senac, which helped refine my skills. I worked at several restaurants, both good and bad.
In 2020, an opportunity arose for me to lead a Brazilian kitchen in Costa Rica, where I worked for four seasons. Today, I serve as a private chef for one of the most traditional families in Brazil. Gastronomy has provided me with everything I have today.