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A pure Family Recipe

While growing up in Brazil, Delvira Rodrigues didn't give much thought to the traditional puffy, cheesy rolls called pão de queijo. ``I ate them every day at breakfast and lunch with my family,`` she said. ``My mom and grandma are from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, which is famous for its cheese, and that's the most important ingredient.``

The older generation still makes their cheese bread at home, but the younger generation frequents bakeries or tapiocarias (cafés that specialize in cheese bread). Del moved to San Francisco in 2009 to join her parents and sister. Rodrigues found that when the family missed Brazilian food, there were just two kinds of places they could frequent: upscale steakhouses or simple spots that served basic plates of rice, beans, and beef. No tapiocarias for lighter fare.

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​​Her parents asked her to make them cheese bread since she had always loved to cook. To find the right ingredients, Rodrigues shopped at one of the few nearby Brazilian markets, but, because all the foodstuffs are imported from Brazil, the price was prohibitive. So she experimented. It took five years for Rodrigues to develop her own successful recipes for cheese bread using locally sourced ingredients.
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​​Rodrigues eventually started a catering company called Brazilian Breads (note, the company’s name is Brazilian Breads, the café is named Brazilian Bread), serving at parties and events. Although she holds a BA in computer science and an MA in education, Rodrigues had always dreamed of bringing the authentic Brazilian cheese bread flavor to all US tables.

​One natural audience for her golden rolls with the crunchy crust is the growing number of people who eat gluten-free by choice or necessity. Although this staple of Brazilian cuisine has always been naturally gluten-free thanks to its main ingredient, tapioca flour, it seems to have flown under the radar in the U.S., perhaps because it hasn’t been widely accessible. ​She explains that traditionally, cheese bread in Brazil is made with just tapioca flour, eggs, milk, and cheese. But the newer flavors that she and Brazilian expats in other states have created are now gaining popularity.