Our Portuguese Table

On today’s episode, we chat with Joey Batista aka Joey Bats of Joey Bats Sweets. Joey grew up in the town of Ludlow, Massachusetts, which is famous for its Our Lady of Fatima Festa, held each Labor Day weekend. We hear the candle-lit procession is a sight to behold!

Joey left his job as a tech engineer to pursue his love of Portuguese pastries – pastéis de nata, bolo de bolacha and more – in 2016. Joey hopes to introduce non-Portuguese people to natas by describing it as a crème brûlée wrapped in a croissant shell. It’s all about how you describe it, folks! Sounds much better than a Portuguese egg tart, doesn’t it? He’s sold them at festivals up and down the East Coast – Mineola, NY, Bridgeport, CT, New Bedford, MA, San Gennaro Feast in Manhattan’s Little Italy and is a regular at New York’s Queens Night Market. If it’s not market season, stop by Frankie Portugal in the Meatpacking District for a warm pastel (457 W 17th at 10th). Francis Garcia, one of the shop’s owners, has Portuguese roots too (his grandfather was the first Portuguese lawyer in Manhattan). For more: https://www.urbandaddy.com/articles/41229/new-york/a-portuguese-coffee-and-flan-shop-from-the-artichoke-guy.

Joey’s uncle also owns a restaurant in Ludlow, named Come e Cala-te! (Eat and Shut up!) in Ludlow, MA. Drop by when you’re in the neighborhood!

As for what’s next — plenty of things in the works, like partnerships with TAP and the Portuguese Kids. Watch out for a sleeve of Joey’s Bats Sweets frozen natas, near you. Joey hopes to expand nationally, Natas Lisboa-style.

Joey and Angela also link up as dance partners in the future. ;) Stay tuned for a follow-up podcast (and video)!

Website: joeybatscafe.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/joeybatssweets

Facebook: www.facebook.com/joeybatscafe

In today’s episode of Our Portuguese Table, we chat with Jessica Coelho (aka Jessica Rabbit) of Tia Maria’s European Café in New Bedford, MA.

This episode is sponsored by ShopPortuguese.com

To start out, Angela and Maria talk about the advantages of living on either coast – Maria’s got cold weather but plenty of Portuguese restaurants but Angela has good weather and not many restaurants.

It has always been a dream of Jessica’s to open a European-style café after enjoying the coffee culture and the esplanadas of Portugal. After studying business in school, Jessica took a risk and opened Tia Maria’s. Everyone’s got a Tia Maria (or two or three…), which is where Jessica got the inspiration for the name of her café. Her parents can often be found cooking in the kitchen, so it’s a real family affair. Tia’s has a working menu that caters to both New Bedford locals and members of the Portuguese community – if there’s something you’re looking for that’s not on it, just ask! She discusses the importance of listening to your customers’ feedback and how to take the good along with the bad. Some of their signature dishes include the Azorean Steak, Portuguese Burger, Bifanas (Maria’s go-to) and fusions like Portuguese Nachos & Mozambique Sauce Chicken Tenders. Take a look at some of Tia Maria’s dishes in this episode of Phantom Gourmet: youtu.be/uyFQCWF-EFw

Have you been to Tia Maria's? Tell us about your experience!

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TiaMariasEuropeanCafe

Instagram: www.instagram.com/tiamariascafe

Website: www.tiamariaseuropeancafe.com

Thank you to our sponsor ShopPortuguese.com!

Use promo code OURPORTUGUESETABLE to receive 10% off your next order!

Shipping is ALWAYS free!

In today’s episode of Our Portuguese Table, we chat with Ana Miranda Ventura of the Arte Institute. Even before then, though, Angela & Maria spend a couple minutes comparing East and West Coast winters. Whose side are you on?

This episode is sponsored by ShopPortuguese.com

Ana started the Arte Institute when she moved to the U.S. from Portugal to take some acting classes. Arte Institute hopes to showcase the contemporary culture of Portugal in the arts through film, art, literature, music and dance. Its documentary, Portuguese in SoHo, features a soundtrack by singer Rita Redshoes and shares the stories of Portuguese immigrants to the neighborhood in New York City. View the film’s teaser here: https://vimeo.com/154316470. A book is on the way – stay tuned! Ana also launched the New York Portuguese Short Film Festival. The NYPSFF runs simultaneously in New York and Lisbon. The 2018 edition is now currently accepting submissions. For more info, visit: http://arteinstitute.org/nypsff/.

And last, but not least, we talk about food! Ana developed her love of food as an adult. She talks about a trip to Mozambique in which she was reminded of her avó’s eggs.

To learn more about the Arte Institute and its program, visit their website: http://arteinstitute.org/ or Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ArteInstitute/.

Thank you to our sponsor ShopPortuguese.com!

Use promo code OURPORTUGUESETABLE to receive 10% off your next order!

Shipping is ALWAYS free!

Today, we chat with Milena Rodrigues, author of the Portuguese cookbook, For the Love of Portuguese Food. Milena lived on the North Shore of Massachusetts, in Gloucester, before she moved to New Bedford.

This episode is sponsored by Ginja9 - Crafted by Hand, Made with Love! www.ginja9.com

She shares some of her favorite things about spending summers in Portugal, with her sisters. Her family roots are in Figueira da Foz, a seaside city in the district of Coimbra. Portugal is her home away from home and she hopes to retire there someday (don’t we all?). Milena tries to visit every summer and travel around the country.

She talks about some of her favorite foods, like bacalhau with batatas ao muro (smashed potatoes) and desserts like serradura (saw dust pudding). Her cookbook, for sale on Amazon, has traveled as far as Macau! Order your copy here.

Check Milena out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fortheloveofportuguesefood/.

Have a suggestion for our podcast? Send it to [email protected]!

Thank you to our sponsor, Ginja9!

www.ginja9.com

Até a próxima!

Bem-vindo 2018! We spend some time catching up on the 2017 holiday season – including ideas about how to use leftover malassadas – malassada bread pudding a.k.a “Heaven on a dish”, (thanks for the name, Angela!). Some of our other great ideas include massa French toast, bolacha Maria pie crust and massa bread crumbs to make pie crust. Makes you want to start baking to create all kinds of new recipes, doesn’t it?

Maria is working on her second cookbook, which will be a continuation of the first. The third book may be a collection of Azorean recipes – any ideas or suggestions are welcome! And who knows – more books with a rural spin – Maria wants to cook with the old ladies in the mountains.  And don’t forget – Maria’s show, Maria’s Portuguese Table is set to air later this year. Stay up to date with her show’s page: https://www.facebook.com/MariasPortugueseTable or the Azorean Green Bean page: https://www.facebook.com/AzoreanGreenBean for more info.  Angela is working on more books too – ‘Lindo Menino’ is coming plus another special announcement… We also reveal our next guest…stayed tuned!

Don’t forget to leave us a review on iTunes, Soundcloud & Stitcher so more people can sit down with us at Our Portuguese Table!

In our latest episode, we chat with Michael Benevides of Portugalia Marketplace in Fall River, MA. Maria frequently shops here but we’re working on bringing Angela to the East Coast to check it out. Michael talks about the business’s humble beginnings in a garage, selling Nescafé & bacalhau to the opening of this Portuguese food (and more!) mecca in 2015. Some of the store’s highlights include the bacalhau room, prepared foods section, and beer & wine department. Check out the store’s e-commerce site to get your Portuguese food fix if you’re feeling homesick: www.portugaliamarketplace.com. The store also does wine and olive oil tastings on a frequent basis.

Check their Facebook: www.facebook.com/portugaliamarketplace and Instagram page for more info: www.instagram.com/portugalia_marketplace. The store, housed in a former textile mill, has caught the attention of regional media – The Boston Globe & Providence Journal as well as national media, like Yankee Magazine. The Portuguese tourism boom has also brought in non-Portuguese people to stock up on the conservas (tinned fish) and natas they loved in Lisbon. We could just talk on and on about how much we love it but see for yourself!

Read more about Portugalia Marketplace here: http://www.heraldnews.com/article/20131008/NEWS/310089316 and here: http://www.providencejournal.com/entertainmentlife/20160223/fall-river-market-offers-heavenly-helping-of-portugal

Até a próxima!

This episode is sponsored by Ginja9 - www.ginja9.com

Feliz Ano Novo! It’s been a little while but we are excited to bring you more podcasts in 2018! 

In today’s episode, we deviate from food for a bit and chat with Lisa Furtado, of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Lisa spent many summers with her family in Ponta Garça on the island of São Miguel. After completing her studies, Lisa took a leap of faith and moved to Asia, where she dabbled in a couple different ventures. She chose to pursue her love of the field of wellness and is now a yoga instructor. Lisa spends her summer seasons on Praia da Rocha in Portimão (Algarve) teaching yoga at Bend It Like Buddha

(https://www.facebook.com/Benditlikebuddhayoga/). She’s also visited places like Goa & Macau during her yoga studies (Is your wanderlust kicking in yet? Ours is!) 

Some of Lisa’s favorite food memories are of making massa with mom and picking figs from her avô’s quintal. Stay tuned for a yoga retreat at Terra Nostra in Furnas – we talk about doing some yoga at the botanical gardens. ;) 

To learn more about Bend It Like Buddha, check out their website: https://portugalyogaretreats.com/

We want to hear from you! Send us your suggestions or comments to [email protected].

Ate a próxima!

Reunited at last! Maria & Angela are live from Tasca Tasca in Sonoma, CA with Manuel Azevedo in this episode of Our Portuguese Table. They’re sitting at an authentic Portuguese table with tremoços and wine. Maria catches up on what it’s been like filming her PBS show in California, from the Central Valley to Napa Valley. She talks about watching her first bullfight in Gustine, being the only lady cooking in a kitchen full of men (these guys are tough critics but they invited her back again!) in Fresno, and cooking with former guest Jeremiah Duarte Bills and Mary Camara, author of Cooking with Mary. Up in the Bay Area, Maria got a chance to visit Little Portugal in San Jose, and check out some of the area’s icons: Adega, Bacalhau Grill, and Popular Bakery, among others.

Manny, Angela & Maria also talk about being supportive of fellow Portuguese-American entrepreneurs and business owners. Speaking of – check out the team at Cineasta Digital Productions (http://cineastadigitalpro.com/), who are helping Maria film her show, ‘Maria’s Portuguese Table’. If you’re interested in sponsoring Maria’s show, contact us for more info!

Até a próxima!

On today’s episode of Our Portuguese Table, we chat with Alexander Dias, Founder of Ginja9, a brand of ginjinha designed for the US market. Ginja or ginjinha is a liqueur made with ginja berries (or sour cherries – Morello cherries). It’s commonly found in Lisbon and Óbidos.  Have you tried ginjinha?​​

Alexander was born in Fall River, MA but grew up in Portugal. His dad used to joke that he was made in Portugal, born in the US and his brother was made in the US and born in Portugal. He moved back to the States after visiting his brother, a video editor in LA, a few times. While working as a banker, Alexander noticed all his friends and colleagues asking about where they could find ginjinha after coming back from having tried it in Portugal, but ginjinha was hard to find in the States.

Ginja9 officially launched in January of this year. The number 9 symbolizes peace and love, which is reflected in the G9 slogan, “Crafted by hand, made with love.”  The signature G9 cocktail is the G9 Mojito. Here's the recipe: https://youtu.be/d3P_y5PqVAU

​We also chatted about how trendy Portugal has been in the travel world over the last few years. Alexander tries to visit Portugal once a year and enjoy his favorites – bitoque (Portuguese-style steak), arroz de polvo (octopus rice), and camarão de alho (garlic shrimp). 

Wanna try Ginja9? They’ll be at San Diego’s Latin Food Fest (August 18th & 19th): https://latinfoodfest.com

They will also be at the PALCUS Gala in New York as the featured cocktail and also being used for a toast!

For more info on Ginja9:

Website – http://www.ginja9.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ginja9lovers

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ginja9/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/Ginja_Nine 

We’d love to hear your feedback and suggestions! Send us a message at [email protected] and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. 

Até a próxima!

This episode was recorded back in September 2016, and Nuno's post as Consul General of Portugal in San Francisco has come to an end after 5 phenomenal years. We will miss him incredibly - his dedication, tireless efforts, creativity and passion to bring so much to the Portuguese community on the West Coast are unmatched and he is leaving one heck of a legacy.  We know he'll do great things in New York! Good luck Nuno! Boa Sorte!

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We welcomed our first government official on this episode of Our Portuguese Table! We chatted with Nuno Mathias, the Consul-General of Portugal in San Francisco last September. Did you know that the Consulate in San Francisco is one of a handful to have its own mobile app?! Download it here!

We chatted about some of the initiatives Nuno supports like the San Francisco Portuguese Film Festival and A Year in Port. The documentary won an award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. Nuno has been an active supporter of the different communities here in California, from the Bay Area to San Diego, for the past 5 years.

Nuno is also a foodie who loves to enjoy fresh seafood at places like A Cevicheria (he calls it ADEGA San Jose’s sister restaurant) and Mar do Inferno in Cascais. (We’ll get him to the Azores next!) His favorite childhood dessert is bolo de bolacha (made with Maria cookies, yum)! But Nuno also loves a good burger from Roam Burgers in San Francisco.

Do you have a suggestion for the podcast? Visit the Contact section on our website and send us your feedback and suggestions! Obrigada!