Paulo Rocha: his passion for desserts led the chef to leave Quilombo in search of haute cuisine

At the helm of the pastry shop of the Erick Jacquin restaurant chain, the chef wants to be an example for those who dream of working in this field of gastronomy

It was while watching his grandmother prepare fragrant cakes, soft breads and artisanal desserts that Paulo Rocha became enchanted by pastry making. Dona Zizi prepared delicacies to sell at the fair, when the family still lived in a quilombola community in Chapada do Norte, Minas Gerais. Since then, pastry making has become the focus of Paulo, who now works as a pastry chef for the French restaurant chain Erick Jacquin.

The road was long, but from the beginning he knew he wanted to work producing sweets. For Paulo the relationship with pastry making is ancestral.

“It was wonderful to be there. In my whole family everyone uses gastronomy to make money. I grew up with that contact,” he recalls in an interview with Earth.

At the age of 12 he moved with his father to São Paulo. At 16, by chance or not, he found his first job in a pastry shop in the capital. The East Zone was the starting point of the path that Paulo would follow towards haute cuisine.

At the beginning I helped the pastry chefs and prepared the most popular desserts. His passion for books and magazines that showcased sophisticated French techniques was the ingredient that sweetened his path. His passion led him to attend courses and improve his skills.

“Since then I haven’t done anything else. I fell in love with it. It’s an environment where I feel comfortable, where I don’t see time passing, in short, in which I adapted very well, and I continued with this whole thing in my family life , work transforming food,” he says.

The first French pastry shop

Thanks to contacts with friends, Paulo Rocha soon managed to work in a French pastry shop in the Jardins neighborhood of São Paulo, where he was able to improve his techniques. The experience offered him other professional opportunities and in 2014 he joined Senac, where he studied gastronomy.

Subsequently, Paulo became a pastry chef at the São Paulo Jockey Club, a place frequented by São Paulo’s high society, and began to be recognized for his work in haute cuisine. The job opened doors for him and it didn’t take him long to work with the French chef and member of the jury of Masterchef BrazilEric Jacquin.

Visibility

With a strong social media presence, Paulo feels the responsibility of being a black man in a predominantly white environment. For this reason, since 2017 he has been using his Instagram account to show young aspiring chefs and pastry chefs that opportunities can be found.

He doesn’t hesitate to say that sweets can help make dreams come true, regardless of people’s origins.

“I opened Instagram with the aim of being able to show my work to people and to also be able to influence people like me, people of color, who come from far away, because I know a lot about the reality of the people who come from where. Where I come from, the lack of opportunity In the food world, it wasn’t very common to see black people driving, driving,” he says.

Paulo Rocha also highlights how important it is to have representation in gastronomy, so that people feel inspired and believe that their dreams can also come true.

“This is where my mission comes in, to demonstrate that they are there and that yes, this can be theirs. Space belongs to everyone and they can be wherever they want. We must create opportunities and believe that we are capable. This must be within the person”, underlines the pastry chef.

This visibility was successful. Paulo Rocha began receiving invitations to participate in television programs, such as Masterchef, where he was a guest judge on a test. He was also part of the cast of Iron chef, on Netflix, this time as a participant. There she managed to conquer the public with his techniques.

In 2022 Paulo presented the program This dessert has a history, at the GNT, alongside Michele Crispim. In the program she combined her passion for baking with her love of history, sharing information about the creation of various desserts.

“I really want to do a TV show to talk about desserts, sweets, tell their stories, whatever. I have this dream,” he reveals.

New project

The pastry chef is currently preparing to launch an online cake course, with the aim of sharing his knowledge with people who want to improve their skills and also start a business in the confectionery sector.

“I’m launching this course to try to help people be able to become more pastry chefs, so that they can make a living through pastry making like I do today, whether working in the restaurant or working outside the restaurant. I think it’s very important always study,” he says.

The chef reiterates that sweets can be a tool for social transformation, promoting diversity, and can even become a person’s main source of income.

“I have the greatest affection and I really enjoy teaching, so I think the course was wonderful and will really help a lot of people. The idea is for people to earn a living, because it’s an opportunity to earn money , It’s an opportunity to take care of your family and be happy,” he concludes.

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.