São Paulo – French Brazilian chef Olivier Anquier (pictured above) is taking the concept of Brazil’s cuisine to Saudi Arabia.
“We’ll build a village with a bakery serving Brazilian coffee, an ice cream parlor, and a playground for kids – tentatively named Oliver’s Village. I want to make something different there, so I won’t take my restaurant. I want to build a new concept with Brazilian representation and all-Brazilian ingredients,” he told ANBA.
The 64-year-old chef arrived in the Middle East for the first time earlier this month to develop two culinary projects together with Saudi businessmen. The first one is already quite advanced.
Later this semester, talks to build at least two villages in the country’s capital Riyadh are expected to be held. The building project will be the responsibility of Brazilian architect Rafael Brancatelli.
“We chose him because he makes artworks that precisely matches the trend that Saudi Arabia is pursuing, something quite modern and illustrative,” he explains.
In parallel to the culinary projects, the chef negotiated the development of TV show Diário do Olivier with the Saudis. The idea is producing a show in the same style of the one he used to host in Brazil, where he traveled through the country to show local foods.
“In one of the meetings with Arab businesspeople, they gave me the idea of taking Diário do Olivier there, showcasing the particularities of local cuisine. At first, the idea would be a Brazilian-Saudi joint production. I’ve already pitched it to [Brazilian TV network] Record.”
Anquier was invited to visit Riyadh by Arab businessman Tarik al-Abassi. The chef arrived in Saudi Arabia on March 4 and stayed there for five days. “This businessman and his Brazilian wife ate at my restaurant some years ago. Years later he contacted me and made the invitation,” he says.
Oliver’s life and career
Anquier was born in French commune Montfermeil, located 17 kilometers from the center of Paris. He immigrated to Brazil in 1979 following a vacation in the country.
“I was 19 when I decided to stay in Rio de Janeiro for a month. I came on my own, then after four months ‘visiting’, I decided I wanted to live here. Since I didn’t speak any Portuguese, I chose to work as a model. After all, it was the only profession where I wouldn’t have to speak,” he points out.
After four years working as a model, Anquier became renowned in Brazil and decided to go back to Paris. He stayed there until 1989, representing important brands like Gucci.
“I came to be known as ‘little Brazilian’ when I worked in Europe. In 1989 I had reached the peak of my career as a model and decided to leave while I was on top. My father’s death later that year reinforced my resolution. Then I decided to go back to Brazil and open my first restaurant in Jericoacoara in the state of Ceará. From 1992 to 1994 I headed a restaurant in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina.”
Following these culinary ventures, his family calling spoke louder, and he decided to invest in opening a bakery. “I’m the third generation of a baker family. My great-uncle was a baker, and so is my mother. To this day she works in a boulangerie in Sydney, Australia. Before opening my own bakery in Brazil, I apprenticed with my mother,” he said.
In the 1990s, the French Brazilian chef started working as a TV host. Over two decades, he had stints in Brazilian TV networks Record, Globo, GNT, and SBT. “My first experiences in television were key for me to develop the Diário do Olivier project, which started on free-to-air TV in 2006. This new work will now be developed in Saudi Arabia.”
In 2008 the chef decided to open one more restaurant, the French-styled L’Entrecôte d’Olivier, in São Paulo.
Moreover, he owns a bakery called Mundo Pão do Olivier, the Esther Rooftop restaurant alongside chef Benoit Mathurin, and a rental space venue, all in São Paulo.
Report by Rebecca Vettore, especially for ANBA
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
