Using his Instagram page to promote the dishes, Pereira Jr. explains that the food stands out for its freshness. \u201cWe\u2019ve been well received as it\u2019s not that mass-produced, mechanical food. We make every dish separately. I believe that\u2019s where our success lies. The freshness. The food is made on the day, we don\u2019t reheat it. That\u2019s one of our pillars,\u201d the chef stressed.<\/p>\n The deliveries are made from Wednesday through Sunday, and orders have to be made 24 hours in advance. The menu features 30 options of savory dishes, including salads, pastries, and main courses. As for the five desserts are prepared by the chef\u2019s wife, Neia Pereira. She also handles the brand\u2019s social media, photos, and online service.<\/p>\n Having lived in the state Minas Gerais for nine years, the couple will soon open the doors of a physical venue for Simple Comida Fresca. \u201cThe venue should be ready next month. The Arab food is obviously very successful, but I\u2019d also like to follow different paths,\u201d the chef pointed out.<\/p>\n Arab roots<\/strong><\/p>\n Although he hasn\u2019t inherited the Lebanese last name Namen, Pereira Jr. got from his mother the contact with the traditional cuisine. \u201cMy maternal grandparents were Lebanese and came to Brazil between the 1910\u2019s and 1920\u2019s. They got established in Cravinhos, S\u00e3o Paulo, which was a coffee-growing region back then. But they didn\u2019t know much about farm work, so my grandfather became a travelling salesman,\u201d the chef said.<\/p>\n The parents of the chef later moved to another city in the state of S\u00e3o Paulo, where they had four children. \u201cShe was always busy working as a teacher, giving classes in farms. But she was an amazing cook. She only cooked on the weekends, but my memories of her and Lebanese food are very distinctive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The grandson of Lebanese grandparents reminisces a huge table for eight. At the center, a disc that made the food arrive at you so that nobody had to get up to serve themselves. \u201cIt was a party, even short on time, because of her work. My mother was that quiet Lebanese woman that spoke low, but her authority was impressive. But she wouldn\u2019t let me get into the kitchen. She thought I would burn myself,\u201d Pereira Jr. said.<\/p>\n Although he hasn\u2019t learned it from his mother, the affective memory of the cuisine remained with him. \u201cI\u2019ve always liked to cook, so I tended towards the Lebanese food. Only when I got married and moved in with my wife, I got to cook. That smell of cinnamon, cardamom, and Syrian spices stays with you,\u201d the Arab descendant reminisced. He now waits the end of the coronavirus pandemic to be able to step foot on his family\u2019s country of origin. \u201cI want to visit Lebanon next year. I even sought a tourism agency yesterday so that I could go,\u201d he finished.<\/p>\n Translated by Guilherme Miranda<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2021-06-22-at-17.39.46-e1624481048658.jpeg\")
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