Rodrigo Oliveira is chef-owner of Mocotó Restaurant and Cachaçeria in São Paulo, Brazil. Born and raised in São Paulo, the 40-year-old, award-winning chef is responsible for the new moment of what once was a modest northeastern house. His father, José de Almeida, opened Mocotó, which focuses on northeastern Brazilian (Sertaneja) cuisine, in 1973. With simple and inventive recipes, Rodrigo has been attracting the attention of the country and the world, appearing in publications such as Food & Wine, The Restaurant, Le Figaro, Financial Times, and El País, among others. He’s also been winning awards and stars in other periodicals such as Michelin, Prazeres da Mesa, Folha de Sao Paulo, and was 43rd on the 2019 Latin America’s Best Restaurants list. Anthony Bourdain called it “the hottest restaurant in town!” Mocotó also draws attention for the different types of cachaça (Brazilian eau de vie produced from sugar cane) it offers, with labels from all the regions of the country. The bar, dedicated to cocktails, has become a reference for connoisseurs. Rodrigo, one of the icons of the new Brazilian cuisine, has participated in national and international gastronomic events such as Mesa Tendências, Identitá Golose, and Gastronomika. The restaurant, always full, welcomes people of all types, tribes, classes, and ages to taste its delicacies. Four years ago, Mocotó Café opened in the Pinheiros Food Market and a little later in the mall Shopping Center D. In 2017, Rodrigo opened Balaio IMS inside the Moreira Salles Institute (a cultural center for the arts). The restaurant, as the word “balaio” in Portuguese conveys, is a basket that mixes the different culinary cultures of the country. Rodrigo released his book Mocotó - Father, Son and Restaurant to tell the story of his family. (São Paulo, Brazil) @rodrigomocoto

(Photo Credit: Carol Gherardi)