The importance of the female figure in the gastronomy market.
When she left Porto Velho, the capital of Rondônia, for Brasília a little over a year ago, Renata Leite left behind a loyal and established clientele. In the Candango region, she found herself forced to start from scratch in the profession she embraced when her first child was born. "Not from scratch, because I already mastered the technique," she corrects good-naturedly. A skilled confectioner, Renata specializes in making delicately decorated artisanal cookies. But, she assures, she does a bit of everything: bem-casado (wedding cake), gingerbread, traditional and gourmet sweets, homemade jams. Always in the bakery. "If I have to prepare anything else in the kitchen, I'm a failure," she jokes. "Hard to believe, such is her skill with spatulas and bowls."
For years, Renata worked in communications and information technology. She decided to quit her job and focus more closely on raising her children, ages 6 and 5. "Since I had two pregnancies so close together, I didn't want to leave them in daycare or with nannies." Quitting work, however, was out of the question. Inspired by her grandmothers, excellent cooks, she saw sweets as a good professional opportunity. Now she needed to specialize. "I've always enjoyed making sweets, but only as a hobby. I needed to make it a profession."
Renata packed her bags and went to São Paulo for a course. There, she learned how to make artisanal cookies. Passionate about crafts, she also mastered the technique of decorating them. A meticulous craftsperson, she can spend hours creating designs on the treats. For Easter, she's been making a special effort to offer bunnies in various shapes. Little by little, the confectioner has been gaining a good clientele in Brasília, where she moved for her husband.
She participates in fairs and a collaborative store, in addition to taking orders for birthday parties and weddings. Despite the distance, she never stopped serving her loyal customers who remained in Rondônia. Even today, she reveals, "I send several packages to Porto Velho via the postal service."
For the column, Renata shared the recipe for an easy-to-make and delicious buttery cookie. Because of its consistency, it's impossible to decorate, but she offers a tip: use Easter-themed cookie cutters; you can use bunnies, carrots, or eggs. Another idea is to place the treat in decorated boxes; a great way to give gifts to family and friends on the holiday. The cookie, in fact, is one of the most requested by her longtime clientele. "Back in Porto Velho, I was the only one who made these cookies," she boasts.
In the recipe, Renata used cocoa powder, but explains that the ingredient can be substituted with walnuts, chestnuts, cinnamon, and whatever else your imagination can come up with. One of the secrets is the thickness at which the cookies should be cut: about 2 mm. "Because they're quite thin, they turn out crunchy," she confirms. Before writing this column, I prepared the recipe with my 4-year-old daughter. Besides the fun in the kitchen, the result was a success. Now, she's constantly asking for a new batch, this time to give as gifts to her friends.
Published in Correio Brasiliense on April 2, 2017
