Sodexo global chef brings taste of Brazil to UK

A chef from Brazil served up a taste of this summer’s World Cup to students at schools and universities across the country.

The three-week tour was organised by Sodexo.

Hubert Visschedjik, from Sao Paulo, helped the Sodexo catering teams at nine universities, two academies, a school and a college of further education to create a traditional Brazilian menu for lunch and evening meal services between 25 February and 14 March.

Students enjoyed a range of dishes including baião de dois – a selection of cured meat rendered with rice and black beans, salpicão de frango – a creamy chicken salad appetiser, galinhada – chicken joint cooked with rice and corn on the cob and escondidinho de bacalhau – a baked fish dish with a creamed potato topping.

The chef’s visit is part of the global chef exchange programme run by Sodexo. Now in its seventh year, Sodexo’s programme sees leading chefs from different countries share authentic cuisine and cooking techniques with local culinary teams.

An executive chef who has been with Sodexo in Brazil for almost 12 years, Hubert has a wealth of experience working with catering teams in a variety of settings, such as schools, hospitals and offshore remote sites, as well as at major sporting events like the Brazil Open tennis tournament, Sydney 2000 and London 2012 Olympics.

Originally from Holland, Hubert has lived in Brazil for nearly 20 years, where he has a wife and three children.

As well as helping to serve hundreds of Brazilian-style meals across the country, Hubert talked to young people in the academies about his career as a chef and made time to coach students in Brazilian cuisine after they had won competitions in their universities.

The tour was rounded off with a six-course tasting lunch at University College London, a contract won by Sodexo earlier this year.

Jane Bristow, managing director, Sodexo Education, said: “Our chefs are some of the most skilled and respected professionals in the industry worldwide. The global chef programme keeps our teams fresh and excited about food preparation, which helps them to better understand world cuisine and prepare new dishes with different flavours. It’s also a great way to engage with young people who are interested in the industry.”