By Carla Fiorito
I got to know Helena Rizzo in Barcelona, in 2003 at the house of mutual friends, in the Gothic Quarter. It arrived to satisfy a common desire for many Brazilians who live far from the country: to eat feijoada! I remember her with her hands dirty, leaning over the large pot in our practically communal kitchen. Scarf tied around the head, in the same stylish way as today. That moment marked me: there was dedication there. There was someone there who used his soul to cook! I’ll never forget the next scene: me sitting on the living room floor (she too), friends gathered together, each enjoying the best feijoada that everyone had probably tasted in a long time.

To charming Barcelona
Eleven years have passed. Helena is today considered the best chef in the world, in an award granted by one of the largest specialized magazines on the subject: the British Restaurant. More than a decade later, here I am again, sitting next to her, this time in one of the best restaurants in São Paulorun by Helena and her husband, also a chef, the Spaniard Daniel Redondo.
O Peanut, peanuts in Spanish, is forty-sixth on the list of the TOP 50 in the world, in other words, a mandatory destination for lovers of good food, here made with originally Brazilian products, associated with haute cuisine techniques.

In the Maní entrance hallway, the chef shows off her talents. Here as a painter!

The famous basket with the incomparable tapioca chips
If at that time she wanted that position? The woman from Rio Grande do Sul, super easy going despite the fame and prestige she has achieved, responds: “Of course not!” And as an advertising model who arrived in the capital of São Paulo at the age of eighteen, later studying architecture, did she follow the path of gastronomy? Nothing to do with family heirlooms, things like: “I grew up watching my grandmother cook…”. No. Helena improved the talent and pleasure she always had in cooking. She did internships at important restaurants, such as El Celler de Can Roca, in Girona, Catalonia, voted the best in the world in 2013. Afterwards, she worked in the kitchen at Moo, at the Omm hotel, in Barcelona. Here, he gained experience alongside Emannuel Bassoleil and Neka Barreto.

Top chef Helena Rizzo in action
Today, he believes that the Peanut There is still a lot to improve and he shares the laurels of the always full restaurant with the entire team: “we are like a band that cannot be out of tune”.

Delicious potato chips with roast beef and dijon mustard
Inventive, the chef is currently involved with so-called “unconventional food plants” and is considering bringing ingredients such as taioba, marsh lily and vinegar tree to Maní’s menu. And amidst his hints of modernity, he guarantees: “I could spend the day cleaning fish!”

Speaking of which: Low Temperature Fish of the Day at Tucupí, with plantain and Maní crumbs

O Ovo: the creative and AMAZING dessert made with eggnog ice cream, coconut foam and crunchy coconuts
And what does the near future guarantee for this special girl? Still in 2014 there was the book of Peanut coming out of the oven, returning to dishes that have made history since the restaurant opened in 2006. Maní also arrives at Livraria Cultura at Shopping Iguatemi, in a restaurant-cafe version. And to top it off, the Pinheiros neighborhood will gain a small Maní bakery, with daily bread, tapioquinha, coffee served as if it were at home… Speaking of home, I remembered again that scene from years ago, of us there, sitting with plate of feijoada on your lap and, even after tasting such exquisite recipes, now in PeanutI’m absolutely sure: Helena was already at the top a long time ago!
Photos: Carla Fiorito
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