|
01 February 2005 |
Chef Antonio Vieira
By Fred Tscheulin
There’s only one way to describe Chef Antonio Vieira’s love of food and cooking and that is “passionate”. You can see it in the menu. You can hear it in his voice. “Fresh ingredients, expertly prepared and served to patrons as if they were family.” And according to the numerous awards he has earned — you can taste it.
Chef Vieira explained that beans and rice are the base of any Brazilian meal. For example, feijoada completa, a beef and black bean stew served with farofa. It is traditionally accompanied by rice, collard greens, fried bananas or orange slices and caipirinha, the traditional drink made with cachacha, a sugar cane liquor.
Born in Minas Gerais, Brazil, Chef Vieira began his career in the military. Actually on K.P. duty, but that experience got the “culinary juices” flowing. He applied and graduated from a four-year program at the Brazilian Police Academy Culinary School. There he learned not only how to cook, but also the history behind the development of traditional Brazilian dishes. That was the first step in a culinary journey that brought Chef Vieira to the United States in September 1987.
Chef Vieira first worked in Boston and then relocated to Roanoke, where he was a Chef at Luigi’s from 1987 to 1992; later he helped open Ragazzi’s; worked at Carlos Brazilian International; later at The Pilot House from 1994 to 1996, then to Leblon, an authentic Brazilian restaurant in Greensboro, NC. In May of 1997, he opened his own restaurant in Burnt Chimney to with his wife Melinda. She is in charge of the “front of the house” preparing the menus, training staff, customer service and interior décor which is very warm and friendly…plus being Mom to their three children.
In addition to Brazilian fare, Chef Vieira offers a full menu of gourmet quality French, Italian and American cuisine. Every Wednesday is Prime Rib night; every Thursday it’s Brazilian. And on any night you can choose from eight traditional Brazilian dishes presented in a special section of the menu appropriately called “A Taste of Brazil.”
Given advance notice, Chef Vieira will honor your request for a special dish, say ostrich, or a vegetarian meal or one to comply with special dietary restrictions. And through an arrangement with Captain Fred, a Smith Mountain Lake fishing guide, Chef Vieira offers a unique “catch & cook” service whereby Captain Fred cleans and delivers the fresh catch to the restaurant and Chef Vieira will inspect, prepare and serve the fish in any of four different ways for you. Yo Ho, it just doesn’t get any better than that! Feijoada Recipe Ingredients:
3 Cups dried black beans
1 Pound sun dried salted beef
2 Pounds smoked beef
½ Pound smoked sausage
½ Pound salt pork
2 large garlic cloves chopped
2 teaspoons extra virgin oil
1 Pound pork loin
Collard’s greens cut angel hair style
1 Medium onion sliced Julianne style
1 Pound long grain rice
3 Oranges
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Wash the beans well and soak them overnight in water to cover. Soak the dried beef separately in water to cover. Drain the beans. Add 6 cups water and cook covered, adding water as needed until the beans are tender (about 2-1/2 hours). Cut all the meats into 1-1/2 inch squares and add to the beans. Cook the sausage in a frying pan with the garlic. Add to the beans and cook about 2-hours. Cook the rice in a separate pan with garlic (1 Tbs. diced), oil, water, salt, pepper (ground black pepper) about 45 minutes on medium heat. Sauté collard greens in 2-Tbs. oil, ½ Tbs. diced garlic, salt & pepper to taste. About 1 minute. Peel and slice 3 oranges. Serving:
Side-by-side. Beans, rice, collard’s and orange slices Chef Antonio Vieira
|
|
Last Updated ( 11 June 2007 )
|
