Hi! Hello! Howdy!

Tell us a little about yourself, who are you and what do you do?

My name is Vanessa. I'm 25 years old, Brazilian, currently living in Japan. I'm Cancerian from head to toe; I have emotions running high and a lot of energy. I like to be in touch with people, feel the energy and bring happiness to each one of them.

When I was 17 years old, I had the pressure of choosing my profession with an entrance exam. At the time I had no idea what to do because I wasn't born with any gift, I always wanted a-thousand-and-one things, and I got very confused. I ended up taking several courses such as veterinary science, physical therapy, and gastronomy—each one in a different college. When I was at the end of high school, I finally made a decision. I realised that by being in a kitchen and preparing something with a lot of affection, I could [make people smile], and that brought me such a satisfying feeling that I wanted to make it happen again. It was then that I chose to study gastronomy at Senac Águas de São Pedro, São Paulo.

Today I'm a cook, and I love what I do. I've worked as a pâtissière for some years, but currently, I'm venturing into other areas as well. It was a decision I made to better understand how each area works and to know myself better.

I'm a person who surrenders entirely for a purpose, especially when it's something of interest. I don't miss a chance to take risks, even if I get cold feet. I believe there's nothing more interesting than food. For me, it's food that moves us; it portrays our culture and our way of life.

In 2018, I decided to embark on [a trip to] Japan with a thirst for gastronomic knowledge. One thing that motivates and fascinates me the most is getting to know new ingredients, new flavours, and new techniques.

I went through one of the best restaurants in the world and could feel and experience the greatness of being part of an award-winning team. I came to immerse myself in Japanese culture and ended up rescuing a little about my origin and my family's roots.

What does an average day look like for you?

My days start early and end very late. Around 6 o'clock, I wake up and get ready for work. I bike to the train station, and this is the way I have a quick connection with the world, with nature, and the awakening of my day. I travel by train to work, and that's where I stay until the end of the night.

No day is like another, especially when you work in a restaurant. Every day I feel some change, no matter how minimal, because of the energy transmitted with the guests or because I work with different ingredients for a new dish on the rotating menu. One thing that never changes is the long and intense hours of work.

What turning point in your career do you consider your "big break"?

I am very young in my career; I have been working in the area for only five years. Until now, what has changed me the most is the need to continue learning. I was in a leadership position in a renowned restaurant, my trajectory was incredible in this place, but there was a moment that I [questioned] myself for being in this position (Imposter Syndrome? Maybe). I started to feel uncomfortable [in] my development and progress in confectionery. It was then that I decided to go out and get to know the world, acquire more knowledge.

So, I started to venture into the kitchen. Knowing other sectors better, helping other cooks, learning with them; this made me see a vast horizon and keep growing.

What advice do you have for striking a work/life balance?

As you can see, I am a very indecisive person. But I believe we have to choose something that makes sense to us, that fits our ideals and makes us feel good. After that is clear to us and we find our way, everything becomes more apparent. We have to believe in our potential and that we are capable of doing what we want. But we have to practice and never give up our goals (this is the most difficult part). We, human beings, tend to give up on our first challenge, and this leaves us in the ‘comfort zone’, the warm, motherly lap that makes us feel protected and stagnant. But that doesn't make us grow and progress. Only when we put ourselves at the [mercy] of challenges, do we move forward and fly.

For me, a balanced life is feeling good. It's having contact with nature, with people, and doing what we like—being able to connect with and love ourselves. It's finding the balance between giving and receiving. It's easy to say these things, but I know how hard it is to put them into practice because I've already suffered a lot. What brings me sanity is the self-knowledge I have been discovering through meetings with my therapist. I highly recommend it! Nowadays, these encounters and conversations bring me inner peace and very important reflections for my mental health.

What anxieties, if any, do you hold about your life/career? And how do you deal with them?

In gastronomy, most cooks aspire to be chefs, to lead a kitchen, to be awarded and recognised. This brings me a lot of anxiety and pressure, but I realise that this is not the reason that I cook. My goal is to cook something good that satisfies people. That's why I don't pressure myself so much. I want to be and feel good. When the only thing we value is the prize, we end up leaving our values aside and begin living for something very superficial.

How has the current COVID-19 situation affected your industry, and your work personally? How have you dealt with it?

The pandemic has drastically affected the food and beverage industry. Restaurants had to reinvent themselves during this chaos with delivery and take out, sailing against the tide to avoid drowning. It's been very hard indeed. The bills don't stop, and unfortunately, many have had to shut down their activities. It's very sad to see so many restaurants with so many stories, passed from generation to generation closing. Even me, who was working in the restaurant of my dreams, had to leave when the situation began to get worse, and it was very painful.

But on the other hand, this pandemic brought many thoughts to many chefs. After the lockdown, where they had to close their establishments, the chefs have been reinventing themselves and bringing more accessible and casual proposals to the public in their reopening. I follow a lot of the movements that have been taking place in Brazil and see this as something good. The inclusiveness this brings is wonderful.

As for me, it was very painful at first to believe that my dream lasted for such a little time, but today I see it as an apprenticeship and that the best thing of all was to have met incredible people and made so many beautiful memories. I know that when the pandemic ends, I have the doors open to return, but I will live my life without overthinking it and not create too many expectations.

It was in this turbulence that I felt the need and urgency to get to know myself better, and that's why I started to do therapy. It was a great mental relief because I always felt this need…. this pandemic brought everything to the surface. It was the best decision I made for myself in recent times.

After that, things started to fit again, and I went back to work in another restaurant and do what I love—cooking.

What does productivity look like to you, and what tips do you have for managing your time?

Productivity, to me, is not quantity, but quality. It's no use to do a thousand things badly and then have to redo them. So it's better to breathe, to do it right once.

[I think] we should always organise ourselves with a checklist of everything that should be done. That way, we can see the difficulty of each task, and for me, it's better to start with the easiest and fastest ones, and then dedicate time to the hardest at the end.

And something I learned from a chef was to always start things at the same time every day to self-analyse when one day something ends sooner or later. This makes us recognise our difficulties, sometimes it's not even difficulty in the task itself, but our state of mind. And when we finish something earlier, we realise our agility and learning.

How do you deal with procrastination?

I always procrastinated a lot (lol!)—and blamed myself a lot later, too. But nowadays I allow myself to procrastinate, and that's okay. I realised that when I procrastinate it is because my body or my mind needs rest and that as I give myself 100% at work, I need some time to recover on my breaks. I don't need to do everything I want at all time. I can organise myself and do it when I feel good and available.

What do you consider your biggest failure? And how did you persevere and grow from the experience?

To talk about failures to me is to talk about learning too. I believe both walk together. Once at work, I was asked to prepare more options for desserts to serve the same day. I felt pressured, I was desperately running against time, and the dessert I decided to do had gone wrong. Chaos! I was just one person trying to manage everything. But it made me realise that I failed in my organisation, that I could talk about the overload of tasks and don't need to say yes to all requests, because in the end I "killed" myself doing everything. This made me believe that I still had a lot to learn and that I needed to deepen my know-how of recipes and techniques. And that's what I do now.

When working on a new project, how do you overcome self-doubt and fear?

Every new project for me is ecstatic and exciting. I love to [start] new things, and I try not to create high expectations that will frustrate me later. I tend to think that everything difficult and challenging adds to my growth.

In any case, when some desperation hits, it is best to breathe. Meditate and bring your mind to the present. Concentrate on the here and now and take away the feelings of impossibility and weakness. We have to believe that we are capable and that is okay to make mistakes.

Do you have any rituals that help with your work or mental health?

Breathing deeply calms me down. Try not to absorb the stress of others, the intrigues, and negativity. I believe a lot in the transmission of energy that we pass on to each other. So I try to be close to people who have an energy frequency similar to mine. I also try to pass a little of myself on to others as well.

I would like to meditate more, do more stretches, and yoga which I started practising when we were in lockdown and had more time. It was a relief for me, and I miss it a lot lately, in my super busy days. But whenever I can, I'm practising.

What's the best and worst advice you've ever been given?

I've received so much good advice! The best for me was advice that came from my mother because it's always full of hope which gives me strength and the feeling that I can do whatever I want anywhere in the world. My mum always encouraged me to be independent, to believe in myself.

Another that I received, and that marked me a lot was to make one person smile every day. This exchange of energy brings us happiness too. I take it into my life.

It was hard to remember the worst advice, but I ended up remembering one that touched me a lot, which was always to distrust people. It messed me up a lot because I'm not one to judge anyone; I just believe that everyone has something good inside. It may be naive of me, but I prefer to keep believing in people until I have some reason to stop believing rather than always doubting everyone. I don't think that attracts good energy and ends up limiting us to be like what we are with others.

Are there any misconceptions about what you do that you'd like to dispel or clarify?

Many people believe that studying gastronomy and becoming a chef is something glamorous, but they don't know the story behind it. We live a life of many sacrifices, dedication, and many hours of work. It's a tough and heavy life and no glamour! The kitchen is hierarchical, and we follow it a lot to have harmony and respect, but sometimes it is very hard, especially when the kitchen is mostly male.

How do you navigate social media, any rules or guidelines you set for yourself?

I would like to be more organised in this regard. I've always thought of having a separate account for just gastronomic subjects. I've already created one, but haven't posted anything yet because I haven't decided what to post first, and what focus to take. That's why I end up mixing everything in my one account: personal photos, food, and travel. For now, I will continue in this format, but in the future, I intend to invest in a professional account.

List five things keeping you inspired and sane right now.

1. Weekly video call therapy has brought me a lot of mental health, self-knowledge, and self-confidence. Recognising my potential, difficulties, and accepting the now has recently been the best thing that has happened to me.

2. Yoga through videos on YouTube complement my therapy and reflect in my body that peace of mind that I need so much.

@desconstruindo_odiva

@yukiekabashima

@mirramattos

@joutjout,

@belagil

Who do you nominate for the next interview? Why?

My nomination is the karate athlete Shiho Tawara. I met her the first time I came to Japan in a meeting between foreigners and Japanese people to exchange ideas, experiences, and culture. We ended up seeing each other only once, but we exchanged our contacts, and I continued following her on Instagram. The day we met, she invited me to go to the sharehouse where she lived to talk and know more about each other. I had so much fun! There we met one of her friends who also practices karate. Now they are married! 

I love these connections that life gives us. Shiho is an amazing woman who has travelled to many countries because of karate. Her videos teaching how to fight makes anyone want to fight too. She transmits this love for this sport, and I admire very much the person she has become. I would love to hear her story.

Much love, 
Lilith and Arabella

L+A xx

Find more content over on our Instagram and Pinterest ↓