11 Reasons that show that chef Paola Carosella is much more than a good cook and that serve as inspiration

Argentine chef Paola Carosella won over the Brazilian public, not only by judging the dishes presented on the Masterchef program, but by changing the viewers’ perception of food, talking about the importance of not wasting food, which a well-made “rice and beans” can do. impress much more than a dish labeled “gourmet🇧🇷🇧🇷

In view of this, the awesome.club lists 11 reasons why the story of Paola Carosella can be considered a source of inspiration and an example of overcoming paradigms — including family ones. She has become a successful woman who dignifies the cooking profession and encourages healthy and sustainable eating. Just follow!

Paola Florencia Carosella was born in Argentina into a family of Italian immigrants. Her grandfather was a great fisherman and hunter, always bringing fresh food to the table. So, from a very early age, the girl was called upon to participate in cleaning and preparing these foods and thus her passion for cooking was born. As soon as she finished high school, she already started working in restaurant kitchens.

Paola’s relationship with her parents was not very close. They were separated, her mother worked a lot and spent little time with her daughter. Her father, due to mental problems, was often admitted to psychiatric hospitals.

The kitchen was Paola’s refuge—she was lonely, an only child. So the way to pass the time was cooking and getting everything ready for when Mom got home. She used these moments to copy recipes from a television show she watched and pretend she was a famous cook, teaching her audience how to prepare food, a way she created to feel less alone, have fun and be useful. .

When she decided to be a professional cook, Paola faced moral and physical harassment in the work environment from her colleagues and superiors. He had to be strong to carry heavy boxes, endure long working hours, deal with prejudice (at a time when the kitchen was a predominantly male environment), receive threats and still continue, because he simply wanted to be there, in the kitchen of restaurants. , and felt that there was his home.

In her gastronomic career, Paola has passed through several countries, such as Paris, the United States and Uruguay. In 2001, she was invited to open and run the kitchen at the traditional “A Figueira Rubaiyat”, in São Paulo. Without speaking a word of Portuguese, she had to head a kitchen made up only of men and which served more than 1,500 customers a day.

Pregnant, Paola worked in the kitchen until 4 hours before Francesca’s delivery. She raised her daughter alone, now 7 years old, teaching her how to deal with life’s frustrations from a very early age with simple everyday experiences, such as how to settle for not having the flavor of ice cream she wanted so much and choose another one, without give “throws”. Paola is always close to Francesca’s education, advising her to listen to criticism without feeling defeated and, thus, to have self-confidence.

Irish photographer Jason Lowes won the chef’s heart. It was love at first sight when he emerged to work as a photographer for her cookbook. They currently live together in a cozy house in São Paulo. She comments that her husband is not jealous, respects and encourages her. He is loving to his daughter and teaches Paola the meaning of family.

Paola’s career gained new prominence when she participated as a judge in the culinary talent program MasterChef, shown on Rede Bandeirantes since 2014. side of other chefs and his way was pleasing, hence the invitation.

Paola Carosella comments that working on TV for Masterchef made her change her view of herself. The custom of wearing hair up, baggy pants and a uniform in the kitchen gave way to skirts, high heels and makeup, and although it was strange at first, little by little the chef discovered this more feminine side, loving her body and freeing herself from the own prejudices.

The chef believes that her influence as a judge on MasterChef allows her to educate viewers, among other things, to avoid wasting food, respect the ingredient and to know the origin of the food.

Paola values ​​organic products, which make up the ingredients on her restaurant menus. In addition, she runs projects, as is the case in Parelheiros (a large agricultural production area), which encourages the increase in food production without the use of pesticides, with a focus on small producers.

Knowing from her own experience and from historical data the difficulties and lack of opportunities to become professional and pursue a career as a cook in restaurants, Paola took the initiative to create and coordinate the “Cozinha e Voz” project, which has a network of partner companies to provide free cooking classes to disadvantaged people. The objective is to increase employability, financial autonomy and social acceptance, transforming the lives of participants.

In addition to being in the spotlight as a judge on Masterchef, Paola is also on the YouTube video platform, presenting a series that premiered on June 20 of this year in celebration of “Refugee Day”.

In this series, each refugee prepares, together with Paola, recipes typical of their countries of origin and tells their stories to the public. The purpose of the attraction is to show that refugees can contribute with new cultural experiences when migrating to other countries.

Paola has two restaurants, Arturito and La Guapa. In 2008, the first appeared, a simple kitchen, with fresh ingredients and a menu that is its “identity”. Every Friday, Paola dedicated herself to cooking at Arturito, while on the other days of the week she managed the business. And so, the Friday menu became famous for the delicious empanadas that the chef offered as an appetizer. The success was so great that, in 2014, she opened La Guapa, focused on serving this illustrious delicacy.

Cooking on Fridays at Arturito was also a source of inspiration for Paola to write the book “All Fridays”, which, in addition to recipes, tells her story. The work took second place in the Jabuti award in the Gastronomy category, in 2017.

Did you know the story of chef Paola Carosella? As we saw in the post, she recommends that we know the origin of the food we cook. In practice, do you find it difficult to comply with this recommendation? Leave your opinion in the comments.