Chef talks about Lula’s criticism of the food at Itamaraty: ‘I didn’t hear him say that, it was more difficult than a MasterChef test’

Chef Elisa Fernandes believes that there was an exaggerated assessment of Lula’s comments about the dinners at Itamaraty. The president said, this Tuesday (27), that the meals offered in palaces by local governments “are not those things”. The declaration comes a day after the reception to the Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, when the meals were elaborated and prepared by Elisa, winner of the first edition of the reality show Masterchef Brasil.

In an interview with F5, she claims that the president’s opinion was not for her. “It’s not a matter of good or bad, I haven’t heard him say that about my cooking, and I was happy to be complimented. I chose oxtail for my main course because I know he [Lula] likes it”, explains the chef, who has owned a restaurant for three years in São Paulo.

Regarding the portions -another point criticized by Lula-, Elisa claims that her team was “generous”, even more so with the “plated presentation”, which requires extra care. Other political representatives even sought out the chef to praise her after the dinner ended. “Marta Suplicy, Geraldo Alckmin, Mauro Vieira [ministro das Relações Exteriores] came to thank me, Marina Silva herself had a specific menu just for her, everyone liked it.”

The menu, according to the winner of Band’s culinary reality show, sought to combine “legal serving with simplicity”. “Everything was light and, at the same time, generous. It was a cool day in Brasilia and the portions were good. We combined what was expected of formality and with a touch of Brazil”.

In the list of dishes, the event started with canapés, which were carpaccio with ancienne mayonnaise,
plantain tartare and fried fish balls, as well as Amuse bouche and cassava broth with coconut milk. The starter consisted of grilled shrimp salad with peach palm, zucchini and chayote marinated in orange with cashew nuts.

The menu followed, as the main course, a canjiquinha with oxtail and kale, which ended with a guava gateau, crunchy Pará chestnut and white cheese sauce for dessert.

According to Elisa, the invitation came from an idea by the first lady Janja Silva to bring young chefs to show their work at dinners at the Itamaraty. “With all the expectations I had, it was more difficult than a Masterchef test”, she laughs.