A musician by training, researcher Fernando Tadeu has created a new perspective for his professional life by following his passion for burgers
Twelve years have passed since the musician and researcher Fernando Tadeu decided to shine on other stages. He exchanged the drums, the guitar and the voice for new working tools: camera, meat, spices and all the creativity characteristic of his personality. With this decision, back in 2012, even without wanting to, he embarked on a new career: ‘trend hunter’ for burgers.
Passionate about the snack, which we can consider a typical dish of big cities – New York and Sao Paulo don’t let us lie -, he celebrates the launch of the latest dossier of trends linked to the burger and which has the potential to dominate the market in the 2024 season /2025. The tasty work makes it important for industry, entrepreneurs and end consumers.
“I always found it easy to communicate, it was the skill I brought from music and the desire to be an artist. I was a teenager and I wanted to be a rock star, that’s why I had a band. Today, in a way, I have succeeded , because I travel all over Brazil. It’s a kind of tour,” he jokes in an interview with Terra.
And there are many contracts and participations in this process. Tadeu reveals that, having become a researcher in the field of hamburgers, his authority on the subject helps him diversify his income. He estimates that 50% of his revenue comes from brands that sponsor him, when they hire him as an expert, ambassador and/or influencer.
Tadeu also participates in closed events, such as when Ronaldo Fenômeno hired him for a private event, does consultancy, participates in food festivals and teaches courses.
“Sometimes you earn well, sometimes not. Since I have the credibility of the brands, I saved a little on the courses. I can charge less everywhere. You will see me in a small town four hours from Vitória, in the hinterland of ‘Espírito Santo, or in the interior of Mato Grosso, teaching 15 people, the course is not always so limited. Sometimes I do it in Curitiba with 35 students and I earn a lot,’ he explains.
Reaching this level has a secret: really enjoying what you do.
It all started when…
Ten years after playing at night in Sao Paulo, Fernando Tadeu decided he wanted to have more time. Passionate about burgers and without great intentions, he decided to record the recipes he prepared at home and publish them on YouTube. He also documented the trips he made to New York, where his brother lives: the first one, in fact, was paid for with the money from the equipment sold.
There was no defined method for mapping what’s new in New York’s urban gastronomy: it was intuitive and empirical, just think about what Brazilians might like.
“Then I started doing it systematically. What I knew in the first two, three years was that I had to look for new things to make burgers in Brazil. In parallel with this, my content started to be searched for by people who opened hamburger places. My audience has changed a lot,” he recalls.
And since the market is governed by the law of supply and demand, Tadeu found an opportunity there. It was then that he began to understand the specific needs of entrepreneurs and bring solutions to their respective businesses. At the same time, his vision went beyond simple taste: it was necessary to operate commercially in Brazil.
To teach it was necessary to study
From intuitive research, without any technical expertise in the kitchen, Fernando Tadeu began taking courses, as he says, “on everything that came up” related to his area of expertise. The meat technique, the seasoning of the pieces, the characteristics and the cuts… During his travels in the United States everything and everyone were a bibliographical reference for him, even the doorman of the building where his brother lived.
“It was a job looking for the references I wanted and all the study opportunities. There is no course for that. There is a gastronomy course, which talks about the general, but does not have the specific. I started looking for my friends and for my research; buying a book without knowing English… The content clippings helped me in this process,” he recalls.
During these travels, Tadeu says he read everything from hamburger recipe books to materials on animal genetics, precisely to build the repertoire that would position him as an expert. It wasn’t easy to master the technical part, he admits.
“I have high ADHD, concentration problems, reading and doing research have never been easy. I am 43 years old, so I was a child whose school was not prepared for my level of abstraction. Then I discovered that when we are very passionate about theme, it becomes much easier,” he adds.
The more he read, Tadeu realized he had a very specific goal and didn’t need to understand animal genetics like a vet, just to make barbecue and burgers. In short, animal genetics was applied, and this facilitated his learning, to the point that today he has developed a simple and easy language for teaching.
Without sacrificing fun, Tadeu is proud of the education system itself, which is “chaos”. Controlled, but chaotic. He explains:
“I know them [alunos] They need support and this is the time for me to make myself available. The course groups last a long time… It’s normal when I leave the city and everyone keeps talking, sending photos, everyone’s head is racing to make the recipe, and I support them. After a while the groups run on their own,” she says. “It would be easier to come in with a ready-made recipe and for them to go out and replicate it and, if they’re creative, create more. But I prefer it to be a little more fun.”
Same reference, continuous training
In addition to improving technical knowledge, burger researcher and coolhunter Fernando Tadeu seeks to improve his teaching methods. Creativity is a discipline that appears recurrently on your priority list.
“The meat and hamburger market has the stereotype of the ogre, which definitely doesn’t suit me, even if I have the stereotype of the beard, the tattoos. I feel much more at ease with the kids than with the grown-ups of the market . barbecue,” he reveals. . “I am much more pro-minority in this process.”
The authority acquired in his field of expertise has given the specialist the freedom to make this type of choice, instead of following a ready-made guide. Tadeu prides himself on “being exactly what he would like to be.”
But, of course, it is not enough to master knowledge in your area of expertise, nor to be creative. It was necessary to learn how to play the social media game.
“You have to communicate what you do. People need to look and understand that you have internalized it. You can’t give up on social media. You have to create relevance in people’s imagination, to remember your name when they want something in that area,” He states.
The agreement is such that today the communications team is complete, with press office, screenwriter and accountant.
“Starting on your own is ‘easy’, you can start. But when brands like Polenghi look at you and say they will sponsor you, you can’t be an amateur,” he adds.
Source: Terra
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.
