Tasting Arcadia

Episode 28 - Fogo de Chão

• Karen Mac Nair • Season 2 • Episode 28

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On today's episode of Tasting Arcadia, Karen Mac Nair steps into the rich traditions of southern Brazil as we explore the authentic churrascaria experience with Jimena Sirri, Senior Sales Manager from Fogo de Chão. This mouthwatering conversation takes you on a culinary journey from the restaurant's humble beginnings in Brazil in 1979 to its expansion across the globe with over 100 locations today. Jimena also share what she is bringing to the Taste of Arcadia.

For more information and tickets to the Taste of Arcadia visit TasteOfArcadia.com.

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Introduction to Taste of Arcadia

John Villa

Welcome to Tasting Arcadia, the official podcast of Taste of Arcadia. Taste of Arcadia is an all-inclusive event featuring food and drinks from the San Gabriel Valley restaurants, all for one price Sample food, wine, beer and spirits. Check out our brand new cars, visit our business showcase booths, smile at our photo booth and shake it on the dance floor with me, John Villa from Dance Syndicate DJ Entertainment. Taste of Arcadia is September 13th at Santa Anita Park. The fun goes from 2 to 6 pm, with special VIP entrance at 1 pm. Don't forget this isa 21 and over event. Get your tickets today at tasteofarcadia. com. Now let's hear it for our host, Karen Mac Nair.

Karen Mac Nair

Thanks, John, as always, for being part of our great podcast. Welcome everyone. I'm Karen Mac Nair, the CEO of the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce. This is Tasting Arcadia, the podcast that tells you about all of the food and drink vendors who are going to be part of Taste of Arcadia all of the food and drink vendors who are going to be part of Taste of Arcadia. Today we have Fogo de Chow. We're so excited. I kind of said it funny too. Chow, I didn't mean it that way, I just got excited. Okay, Jimena, yes, Okay, is that close? After all that practicing, it came out perfect. Yay, Jimena is there with us. She's the Senior Sales Manager of California, right? Yes, that's correct. We are so excited to have you with us and learn a little bit more. So welcome, thank you so much, Karen.

Jimena Sirri

It's a pleasure to be here. We are so excited to be a part of Taste of Arcadia. I specifically represent the Pasadena location for Fogo, but I do work for all of our restaurants in California and we're growing so much in our state, so it's just a pleasure and an honor to be a part of this event this year.

Karen Mac Nair

Well, we're so glad to have you. Let's start. Tell us a little bit about Fogo.

Jimena Sirri

Yeah, of course. So Fogo is a southern Brazilian churrascaria or a steakhouse. A lot of people don't know that Fogo actually started in Brazil in 1979. So our first restaurant opened in southern Brazil. Okay, and then we made our way to the United States in 1997. If I recall, in Dallas, that was our first.

John Villa

US location.

Jimena Sirri

We now have over 100 restaurants globally and growing. Oh, wow A lot definitely happening here in our state, specifically in Southern California. So we are located close by to Arcadia in Pasadena, just the next door city, and I personally drive by here every day on my way to Fogo. So it's really cool that we're now joining you.

Karen Mac Nair

I love that you get to be part of our chamber and Taste of Arcadia. So I'm going to ask you a few questions because I have had the pleasure of being at your restaurant. But I feel like entering your restaurant is an experience in and of itself. It's not the traditional place where you sit and you order and plated food comes out. It's an experience happening all around you and you need to be engaged in that experience. Will you explain a little bit? Come into your restaurant, I sit at the table, I order my food and then what happens?

Jimena Sirri

Yes, of course, Like you said, it is not your traditional steakhouse experience where you order steak and mashed potatoes. At Fogo, you get to experience everything that's in our menu. So you would come in, have a seat at your table Of course. Our incredible staff will greet you and offer you our national cocktails, beverages, appetizers we have so much in our menu these days, but we are very much known for our market table, which includes charcuteries, different salads and sides, just really fresh vegetables. You get to visit the market table as many times as you like and then the star of the show is our great chefs. They actually come around straight from the grill to your table and carve different meats table side anything from chicken, pork, lamb, beef so you don't get to just choose one item. When you go to Fogo, you get to taste a little bit of everything and every bite feels like the first bite. So it's a really nice experience and just a lot of variety.

Karen Mac Nair

What I loved about the experience is I'm not big on a big meal in front of me at one time. Sometimes food-wise I get overwhelmed. So I loved coming to your restaurant because it was that Like you got to have some of this and then you got to have your drink and talk a little bit, then you could have some of that and even with the meats you get to pick all the different varieties that are around you and it didn't feel overwhelming. It felt like I continued to eat for hours.

Karen Mac Nair

Yes, that's what usually happens, and I'm like okay, do I have to get kicked out because it's been so long? But it's just like you go through this whole tasting experience while you're there. It is a great business model. If you haven't been to the Pasadena location, you really need to come by. Where is the Pasadena location exactly?

Jimena Sirri

So we are at the corner of Colorado and Marengo. It's 234 East Colorado Boulevard, right in Old Town, pasadena. It's a huge building, beautiful historic building. You can't miss it.

Karen Mac Nair

Love that.

Location, Hours, and Happy Hour

Jimena Sirri

Hours of operation. When are you open? Sure, so we open Monday through Friday at 11.30 am for lunch. Lunch ends at 3 pm Monday through Friday, then dinner starts at 3. And we close at about 9.30 pm and then our weekend hours are a little different.

Jimena Sirri

We offer brunch on Saturdayurdays and sundays from 11 to 2. I'm a brunch fan. Yes, you have to try it. It's a little bit different than your traditional fogo. So we do offer the same fun things that people love to come to fogo for, but we have more. We have a waffle station, there's an omelet station yogurt part face fresh fruit. So there's there's a lot more during brunch and that's a saturday, sunday, 11 to 2 okay and then dinner starts at 2 pm and we close at 10 30 on the weekend.

Jimena Sirri

So oh my goodness, you're busy yes, busy, busy, busy, and it's, yeah, just a lot, a lot of food, a lot of things going on at fogo so I'm out with my friends.

Karen Mac Nair

It's happy hour time after brunch, but before dinner, yes, is there still a happy hour at fogo?

Jimena Sirri

absolutely in fact, Fogo has happy hour all day, oh no, every day at the bar. So bar and you could come in and enjoy incredible bites. Uh, and also are my favorite from the bar it's the picanha burger. So it's an incredible burger that we made from our prime sirloin house specials uh meat called picanha in in brazil, um, and it's just incredible.

Jimena Sirri

And then we have happy hour all day, so that means that you can come in any time of the day, sit at the bar and grab a, a beer, a caipirinha really, uh uh, really budget-friendly price points. We have five dollar beers, there's eight dollar glasses of wine and ten dollar cocktails, and yeah, just all day, any day I'd love that verbiage too budget friendly, because sometimes you have to take that into account.

Karen Mac Nair

So it's really helpful. Um, we talked a little bit about the beginning and the history of Fogo. Is there anything in the history that stands out that you want to share? Is there anything to tell us a little bit about more?

Brazilian Traditions and Family Roots

Jimena Sirri

Yeah, of course. I mean, the history of Fogo is just I always think of Fogo and I think of family. It is a very traditional southern Brazilian rooted restaurant and so you know, we still today sit down with our team members at the table and have lunch together every day, and it's just that sense of family, that's what.

Jimena Sirri

I really love about Fogo and it's just part of what we take pride in is and just treating our team members and our guests like family and we hope that's the experience that everyone feels when they join us guest like family and we hope that's the experience that everyone feels when they join us, but that comes from just really the traditional roots in in southern brazil that's how the families there grew up. You know, just come in eat, here you go take a lot of food and so we.

Jimena Sirri

That's something really interesting about the culture that a lot of people don't know um and that you know, we really take pride in food is definitely about family, friendships, community.

Karen Mac Nair

It's definitely a common theme that we have been seeing. So it's so great that even a restaurant that has such history still can hold on to that family aspect, which is so nice. So I know you have an email list, you're on social media. If there's something special coming, is this how I know about it and what's happening soon, exactly so obviously Fogocom.

Upcoming Events and Rewards Program

Jimena Sirri

Our website has everything. We actually have a Fogo rewards program, so it's free to sign up, and you sign up with your phone number and some email and name, basic information. But by signing up to our rewards program, not only do you get information about our upcoming events and promotions, but you get rewards meaning you get a little reward every time you come into the restaurant and you scan a QR code and then you open up our reward.

Jimena Sirri

It could be a complimentary lunch, it could be a shrimp cocktail, appetizer for your next visit, a dessert just all kinds of different things. And as far as upcoming events, we definitely have one right around the corner it's National Caipirinha Day and it's coming up on September 10th.

Karen Mac Nair

Okay.

Jimena Sirri

And it's going to be a wonderful Bar Fogo event. We'll have appetizers, bites and caipirinha and the caipirinha is the national beverage of Brazil. Okay, and it's a cocktail made with cachaça, which is a sugar cane spirit, also from Brazil mulled with lime and sugar. It's delicious. You'll be dancing samba out the door after you have one.

Karen Mac Nair

So you start on September, the dancing on September 10th and you go all the way through the 13th through Taste of Arcadia.

Jimena Sirri

It's your kickoff event.

Karen Mac Nair

I love it, that's so fun. Now events yes, I love it, that's so fun. Um, now is there things that are popular on your menu, things that are what will you share a little?

Popular Menu Items Revealed

Jimena Sirri

bit about what the most popular things are. Yes, I mean, everyone, of course, is going to have their favorite, but we hear so much from our, our guests and our regulars. They love the pangy casio, which is our very famous cheese bread, which is made with yuca flour, so it's a gluten-free, delicious warm cheese bread that you have to try, and I have a little bit here for you.

Karen Mac Nair

Okay, I'm so excited we get to taste.

Jimena Sirri

That's very popular the little puff of goodness Of course we are known for our meats and anything from our grill.

Jimena Sirri

And our most popular cut is called picanha, which is also a very popular cut in Brazil. It's prime sirloin and that is everyone's favorite. Uh, we serve filet mignon, we serve lamb chops, we serve all these other meats, but people seem to keep wanting to try the picanha. So that's what I recommend. It's one of my favorite cuts. Yeah, you have to try that one, and I also brought some of that for you here today oh, I'm so excited.

Karen Mac Nair

Okay, we'll get there, because I also want to know what you're going to have at taste, but we'll, of course, get there absolutely. Um, the history you've shared so much about the brazilian food in the family is that where the inspiration of the menu and the food comes yes, exactly that is where the inspiration comes from is there? Is there things that are ever added or changed, or during special times, or yeah?

Jimena Sirri

okay, so we definitely have added things to the menu over the years. You know we used to not serve, for example, shrimp or seafood, and nowadays our menu has evolved so much so. We have seafood tower appetizers. We we launched bar fogo, which we didn't have originally when we opened. We now have catering. Um, there's just so many options these days and, of course, catering really became a big thing for us, like many places, during the pandemic yeah, we were like okay, what do we do?

Jimena Sirri

how do we continue to serve pogo when we're we can't open the restaurant and so that that part of the the business just really grew after that, um, and then during special seasons, of course, we were open all year, so we have Thanksgiving meals, holiday meals. So we serve sweet potato casserole during the holidays. So yeah, of course we have seasonal things that come up during the different times of the year. So keep coming so you can see what's next.

Karen Mac Nair

I agree Because I feel like in my opinion, we're coming to our good food season, we're coming to fall, we're going to head towards the holidays, so make your reservations now to get that family in and get that special date in, that we make sure that we're a part of it. Um, this seems like a basic question and with but it's so important as a chamber of commerce that we talk about how we can support fogo, how can we make sure that you're across the nation and it even gets bigger? So what can we do to help support your business?

Jimena Sirri

Of course. Well, what you've been doing so far since we've signed up, you know, help us promote our events. I know every time a new Bar FOGO event comes out or a wine dinner, I send it over to you and you put it on your social media. So all of those things really help us promote our special events and just get our names out there for some in the community that haven't tried FOGO yet. And, of course, how the people listening can support us by coming coming to the restaurant, making a reservation, stopping by for happy hour, just giving us a shot and trying what we have to offer.

Preview of Taste of Arcadia Offerings

Karen Mac Nair

It sounds so basic, but it's so true, because I feel like the more we support and the more we go out and try these things that we haven't tried before, it's just going to grow our happy memories with our family and friends. It's just going to grow tradition. It's going to help grow a business which helps us all. So it's so exciting. Okay, you're coming to taste of arcadia. This is the drum roll. Yay, this is why we're here your first time. Yay, will you share for us? What are you bringing? And then what do I have in front of us?

Jimena Sirri

Yes, of course. Yeah, it's our first time, but we've known about it from prior. It's just the first time that we finally are able to make everything align for us to be.

Karen Mac Nair

I know it's hard. Thank you.

Jimena Sirri

Sometimes you just you know it gets busy, gets busy. But today, what we brought for you to taste is a little bit of what we'll have that day, and we may have surprises and additional things the day of okay, but we brought um our and let me bring this over to you so you can try okay I got off the microphone, I hope no, no, you can still hear me, and you can still there you go, okay.

Jimena Sirri

So in front of you is our very famous potato salad, you have our delicious pão de queijo, the cheese bread that I mentioned earlier. There is also the beets salad, and from the grill, we have our chicken wrapped in bacon and our very famous prime sirloin picanha.

Karen Mac Nair

So now you get to be. I have a full plate of food in front of me, which is so exciting. This is bigger than a tasting, so I'm going to start with the potato salad awesome um, yeah, we're very generous.

Jimena Sirri

Uh, yes, big chunk of potatoes, I see.

Karen Mac Nair

is that a green bean or is that a pea? What's the green? Uh, pea, okay, and I'm going to talk with my mouth full, sorry. No, it's okay. And a carrot.

Jimena Sirri

Yes, so good Light Mm-hmm Mayo eggs.

Karen Mac Nair

Mm-hmm Goodness. Good, that is like goodness, mm-hmm, I don't know. Potato salad too, it's been warm out for me.

Jimena Sirri

When it warm out. For me, when it's warm, potato salad feels right. Yeah, it feels like the right.

Karen Mac Nair

Oh it's got egg in it too.

Jimena Sirri

I'm gonna eat the egg. I love eggs, all right. Next is a beet salad. Yes, I don't know all the details of that recipe, but I love beets and I hope you enjoy it.

Karen Mac Nair

Good little pickle vinegar. I'm tasting something else and I don't know what it is, but you said you didn't know, we'll have to get the recipe from the chef. Okay, we'll have to come to taste and talk about what the recipe is Now the puff of goodness, what is it?

Jimena Sirri

Yeah, so it's called pangyikajo and that is our traditional cheese bread. So it's made with yucca flour cheese and other ingredients, but it is, like I said, said gluten-free and it's delicious. Okay, it's it's one of those where it comes out of the oven and you shouldn't be walking by the kitchen because you're gonna wanna go.

Karen Mac Nair

Yeah, how do you guys work there?

Jimena Sirri

I would just be like excuse me, I know that's why I try to stay away from the oven, because it's you know, it comes out fresh constantly and it's so delicious and it has the cheese flavor, but it's not too cheesy either. It's not overpowering. It's not overpowering. Yeah, you still get the flavor. You want to just continue eating those oh my goodness.

Karen Mac Nair

Okay, karen, put it down, walk away. I'm just kidding, not totally walk away. Okay, then next we're gonna have the chicken, bacon-wrapped chicken, that's correct. Okay, I'm trying to cut the chicken. Here we go Delicious, and all of this is served at your restaurant.

Jimena Sirri

That is correct.

Karen Mac Nair

The tasting for taste include all the menu items.

Jimena Sirri

Exactly, there's nothing, yeah we haven't created anything additional for taste. We're just bringing what, just a small serving of what. There are so many additional, there's so many more salads and so many cuts from the grill that it would be impossible to bring you a taste of everything. That's why you have to go to Fogo this is only a sample. But this gives you a little bit of an idea of what to expect when you go to our restaurant.

Karen Mac Nair

Yeah, as she was talking, I'm chewing the chicken. It's so tender and the bacon is flavorful but not overpowering. It's awesome, it is really good.

Jimena Sirri

And what a lot of people don't know too about Fogo is that our gausha chefs. They carve the meat, they do basically the entire process.

John Villa

They butcher the meat.

Jimena Sirri

They do basically the entire process they butcher the meat, they season it, they skewer it, they grill it and then they serve it for you. So the gausha chefs that are coming to your tables and offering you the different meat selections they have prepared it from scratch.

Karen Mac Nair

Basically, to bring it over to your table.

Jimena Sirri

The server is the same person that prepares it exactly. I didn't know that. Yes, yes, oh wow, wow.

Karen Mac Nair

How many servers do you? Because it feels like when you're there and it's a busy time, like they're everywhere. Yeah what?

Jimena Sirri

how many servers do you have? You know, it depends on the location we all have different numbers and also per shift. So if it's a little bit of a slower day, we have a few less on the location. We all have different numbers and also per shift. So if it's a little bit of a slower day, we have a few less on the schedule, but there could be 20 or more chefs per location to make sure that we're able to cover all of the days of the week and days of the year, right.

Karen Mac Nair

So so this is this is my favorite, though.

Jimena Sirri

The picanha, yeah, yeah.

Karen Mac Nair

This is really good.

Jimena Sirri

Everyone's favorite.

Karen Mac Nair

Mm-hmm, wow, I wonder if you like your meat cooked at a different temperature. Is that where it's medium? Yeah, where is there?

Jimena Sirri

No, absolutely so if you have a different preference in temperature you can just connect with that. Yeah, no problem, you can connect with that chef and just say, hey, I would like a little more well done or rare. And then they come back and make sure that you get it to your liking and to your temperature, your preferred temperature, wow.

Karen Mac Nair

That is amazing. I thought they just were the servers. I didn't realize they also prepared.

Jimena Sirri

Yeah, they do everything, and another thing that I always like to share about FOGO is that every single one of our team members actually gets a complimentary meal every day at the end of every shift, from managers to our dishwashers. So that's something that I'm very proud of, that we get to feed our teams on a daily basis, so they get to enjoy the food, and we also, with that, prevent wasting.

Jimena Sirri

Yes, yeah, I love, love that it's a, it's a really nice thing, and that means I've been enjoying fogo for the past 10 and a half years and I don't get tired of it it's so good and there's so much variety that I just you know every day, it's like a new, a new plate, a new meal well and it goes.

Karen Mac Nair

It ties back to the family, you know. It ties back to the community that you're building within the restaurant which which includes employees, which is so great.

Jimena Sirri

That's where it starts.

Karen Mac Nair

Oh, my goodness, Is there anything we've missed? The food is delicious and I can't wait for you, your booth, to see all that, the line. I'm just going to say it that way. I can't wait to see the line at your booth, but is there anything else you want to share?

Jimena Sirri

No, I mean, I think we've covered everything. I just you know. Thank you for the opportunity of being here today and for having us a part of Taste. We're super excited and we just want to ask people to come to Taste and then also come to Fogo. We are waiting for you in Pasadena and we're excited to meet new people and you know more in the community of Arcadia. I love that.

Final Thoughts and Event Reminder

Karen Mac Nair

So everyone out there listening, whether you're driving, walking at work, just at home make your reservations for Fogo now and it'll be prep for Taste of Arcadia. You'll be all ready to know what you want to taste while you get there. So thank you for being here. Thank you so much, everyone, for listening. This is the end of another episode of Tasting Arcadia, reminding you to get your tickets at tasteofarcadia. com. We are at Santa Anita Park. It is September 13th. We have over 50 food and drink vendors, so restaurants. We're so excited to have everyone and show, dance, take pictures and experience our San Gabriel Valley cuisine. So go to tasteofarcadia. com and John take us away.

John Villa

Thank you, Karen, for another great episode. You can hear us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and iHeart Radio. Don't forget, join us on September 13th at Santa Anita Park for Taste of Arcadia. You can get your tickets now at tasteofarcadia. com. Thanks again for joining us for Tasting Arcadia. We'll see you at the Taste.