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CHEF ISA SOUZA
CHEF ISA SOUZA
Chef Isa Souza is a standout performer that exudes positive energy, an unparalleled love for a healthy lifestyle and an insatiable desire to revolutionize the traditional art of cooking.
Her tender voice and endearing eyes transcend to her flavorful dishes that combine traditional cooking methods with modern techniques all presented with a sheek elegance that characterizes the chef’s incomparable style.
Isa first graced a kitchen at the tender age of eight, in her native Brazil. Since then her innate talent has led her to develop her own signature within the art of cooking, a unique blend of traditional culinary traditions stemming from an array of cultural influences. Growing up in a small town in Brazil exposed her to distinct European traditions combined with savory Brazilian dishes. She grew up on a farm in the south of Brazil, where natural foods became an intricate part of her life. While her grandmother lathered her hair with olive oil, her father breathed life into the grasslands that left Isa with a firmly rooted love and unique understanding for nourishment.
The chef’s savory collations are presented with a rare balance of sophistication, originality and warmth. Isa uses every dish to transmit love and create a wholesome environment where the fundamentals of a healthy and positive lifestyle emerge
Isa received a vast array of training within distinct culinary disciplines thanks to her travels to several countries including the Philippines, Thailand, Italy and Stain. Combined with her upbringing in a small town in Brazil filled with German and Galician descendents, Isa is an alchemist in the kitchen. A plethora of techniques, ingredients and spices from different gastronomic cultures, has strongly influenced her work and created Isa’s own kitchen. However, her humble approach toward learning and growth enable her to proudly acknowledge her debt to the concepts taught by two of the greatest practitioners of the culinary arts: the Frenchman Alain Ducasse and Spaniard Jose Andres. Ever the self-taught original, she also absorbed the techniques of Asian Masters, having taken classes in both the Philippines and Thailand.
Her quest for culinary perfection led the chef to the indistinguishable world of the culinary arts, where she was recognized as a “Professional Chef” at the best French school in America, The French Culinary Institute. There, Isa studied under the guidance of Master Chef Dave Arnold, the Director of Culinary Technology at the Institute and a pioneer in mastering the art of cooking using all the resources available. She mastered the unique art of “sous vide” (under vacuum), a technique involving the preparation of food in an air tight sealed plastic bag for several hours; a form only practiced by a select few.
An advocate of the ‘slow food’ movement and a believer in seasonal organics, she is neither a purist nor insistent on the use of exoticism: "My recipes never require rare or inaccessible equipment, utensils or ingredients. Instead they rely primarily on balancing a combination of flavors and seasonings and, of quality ingredients. I have always believed that sophistication is not synonymous with complication," adds the chef.
Her unique recipes and loving approach toward cooking teaches many people to envision the kitchen as a vehicle for spreading harmony in the home, using natural ingredients that are quick, easy and fun to make. Today Isa practices her art with the lightness and passion typical of the greatest chefs, and her passion for preparing, serving and sharing great food is infectious: “I believe that cooking is, in its essence, the best way to show affection and pure love for anyone... through my food, I try to love and satisfy those around me."
Isa is an attorney in Brazil and has a master’s in Law from the European Union; Moreover, this Brazilian beauty started working at the age of fourteen. Her discipline, since of hard work and incomparable discipline enabled Isa to write a book, “Isa Vida y Sabor,” where readers can indulge in the luxurious pages of delicious and decadent foods, combined with tips for living healthier and happier
Isa is currently working on a multitude on projects to ensure she sustains a firm bond with lovers of fine foods using simplistic methods. Her many admirers are unanimous in predicting that this effervescent young woman’s unique background aligned with her love for fresh, yet delicious foods will propel her to the pinnacle of international gastronomy.