Recipe from a starred chef and a profusion of ice cream shops mark Sunday at Taste SP

While a saxophonist played pop reinterpretations to welcome the audience at the second Sunday of Taste SP, at Villa-Lobos Park, the restaurant tents and queues to participate in brand activations filled up.

As was repeated over the last week, the dynamic of cooking dishes alongside renowned chefs worked well, with classes always full. The first to take the stage was Luiz Filipe Souza, from Evvai, who received two Michelin stars at the May awards.

The recipe of the day, spaghetti al sugo, seemed simple, but there was a refinement: the tomato sauce was transparent. To achieve color without losing flavor, the fruits were blended and placed in the refrigerator for two days in a cloth, which filtered the whey. Thyme, basil and garlic were added to the mixture to add aroma and complexity.

With the sauce part prepared in advance by the team, as in the TV recipes, all that was left to do was make the pasta. The rigor taught to the 40 students in preparation was the same that Souza employs in his dishes.

The paste only entered the pan when the water was boiling and salty. After ten minutes, the chef asked everyone to remove the spaghetti, but without using the colander. “Pasta water is full of starch. It’s a cook’s best friend. It’s not worth throwing away because it can be used in sauce to add body,” he explained.

Removed with tongs, the spaghetti went to the frying pan where the transparent sauce had been placed. It remained on the heat for another two minutes, during which time the chef added olive oil and parmesan, while making the pasta jump in the container.

In the tent next to the class, there was Trattoria Evvai, another of Souza’s restaurants. The menu for Taste included a recipe that went viral on social media: a sandwich, with pizza dough, stuffed with mortadella and pistachios (R$35). For dessert, they served açaimissu (R$35), a reinterpretation of the classic Italian sweet but with cookies soaked in açaí syrup. It was also served with fruit ice cream and fried tapioca.

There was no shortage of dessert options at the event and, with the sun, the ice cream shops were a hit. Davvero, a traditional name in the gelato sector, brought some flavors that appear in its stores in São Paulo, such as pistachio, made with milk, and grape victoria, with water. Each glass with two flavors cost R$25.

Gelato Boutique, by chef Marcia Garbin, brought special flavors such as soy sauce caramel (R$ 20 per glass). There was also the traditional strawberry and pink lemonade, prepared with lemon and red fruits.

New to the city, Amollis Gelato opened its first physical store at the beginning of May, in Vila Clementino, in the south region. From there he brought vats of artisanal gelato made with organic ingredients and from small producers. Under the radar, flavors included blue cheese with pear, dulce de leche with olive oil, as well as mango and cajá. There, a glass with a flavor cost R$18.

The little Borbô Sorvetes, which was born in the city of Borborema, in the interior of São Paulo, arrived in the capital of São Paulo this year. For Taste SP, she took products that she usually sells online, such as Leite Ninho (R$17.90 per pot). There were also more traditional options, such as coffee, green corn and pumpkin with coconut.

The Nice Cream cart, which has physical stores in Pinheiros and Campo Belo, had its ice cream masses made without preservatives or sugar. Among them, the hibiscus one with red fruits (R$ 17 for a small one) was the most tart. However, a sweeter one was successful, Chico Bento, made with mascarpone, cream and guava paste.