Our Sold Out Boteco Brasil Supper Club Blast

UK
On the 14th and 15th of June Cooking New Stories got together for some action with Luciana Berry and Dennison Smith from The Baldwin gallery to bring to life what we’d been preparing for months: a series of Boteco Brasil Supper Clubs that mixes delicious food, live music and art.

I need to start by saying that it was a fantastic experience to create this ambitious event with the amazing Luciana and Dennison. Dennison is an advocate for the First Nations indigenous art in Europe and around the world while Luciana promotes her Brazilian roots by introducing people to Brazil’s exquisite typical flavours. I have deep respect for them. Both share a similar drive to spread culture, love and conversation, and each one works tirelessly in their own particular world.

We also had the pleasure of Luciana’s mother, Cecilia, providing us of her unique support and hands in the food making process. She was responsible for one of the most important dishes of the menu, the feijoada, a very traditional black beans stew served in cute terracotta little bowls with crunchy bacon and scallion on top (photo below).
The entire menu of the two evenings is best described here.

The Guest Experience

We had the honour of welcoming a full house on the Friday evening, with just a few seats left for last minute guests, and a sold out Saturday with tickets vanishing two weeks before!

Dennison’s home, kitchen and art gallery embraced Luciana’s tasteful stories and resonated perfectly with the music of Aleh Ferreira (Friday) and Heidi Vogel (Saturday). Songs such as Mas que nada (Sergio Mendes) were on the set list, creating a relaxed atmosphere with some guests dancing to some tunes while others just enjoying the soundtrack and chatting with new friends.

I can say that people could almost feel Brazil through this combination of an evening focusing on the Boteco cooking style, a style with origin, loads of tradition and a bit of a contemporary edge; meanwhile being surrounded by historically and environmentally powerful artwork and music that just feels like a sweet and comfy hug.

Guests also enjoyed the environment ornamented by Luciana with rustic plates, colourful table towels, banana leaves, edible flowers and wooden crockery.
They all received a cashew fruit (caju) caipirinha made with the elegant Zeca cachaça, and had a selection of wines from Mondial wines to choose from. The Antichello Soave, flowery, with a spicy bouquet and dryness was the most requested, served in charming carafes.
Also a special delight was to offer the artisanal beer Londrina, easy going but with an exciting complexity kick, crafted by Brazilians in London.
So without further adieu here are some fantastic photos taken of the night. Have a look and feel the vibe!