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Letter to the editor

Stores cater to Brazilian influx

Immigrants trigger a surge in restaurants and services for them in the county.

By PAUL SWIDER
Published June 26, 2007

PINELLAS PARK - When Fernando Gusmao was in school at Eckerd College in the 1980s, there were hardly any other Brazilians in the area and not many more when he returned with his family 10 years later.

"Back in '95, you could count maybe 20 or 30 families, " Gusmao said. "Now there's more than 10, 000 Brazilians in the area."

The Brazilian community has grown rapidly in Pinellas in the past few years, Gusmao said, as evidenced by a number of Brazilian-owned businesses sprouting up and flying their country's flag.

"The community gathers around here because of all the stores, " said Nubia Quadros, who runs a tax, translation and notary service on Park Boulevard. She said many Brazilians see more opportunity here than in their homeland.

Quadros had an office in Clearwater, but she saw Brazilians moving into the southern part of the county and moved herself. Down the street from her in both directions are hair salons, grocers and clothing stores, while a couple of Brazilian restaurants are popping up in the area to serve the community.

Gusmao himself is a part of the business growth. He started a mortgage company in 2003 to cater to new waves of Brazilians. Then in 2005 he started Cafe Brasil. He also has an interest in Brite Strategy Construction and bought into a legal-aid franchise.

One of the earliest infusions was Sugar Loaf Emporium, a small store started about 10 years ago by Gusmao's friend Roberval Quintella, who sold out four years ago and moved back to Brazil. The new owners say they bought at just the right time.

"It's been growing like crazy, " said Elaine Araujo, who stocks Brazilian favorites like cassava flour, guarana and acai juices and erva mate herbal tea, as well as Pilao and Cafe de Porto coffees. "The people know they can't get these things anywhere else."

The original store has doubled in size in the last two years, she said, adding hot lunches and a wider array of products. Sugar Loaf has a cafe, too, and sells specially butchered meats and "churrasco" seasoning for Brazilian barbecue.

A few blocks away on 66th Street in Kenneth City is Rio Brazilian Grill, a new restaurant that provides an Americanized version of the traditional "churrascaria." Instead of the usual leisurely experience of having waiters bring freshly fire-roasted meats to your table, Rio offers a pay-by-the-pound buffet of picanha, alcatra, lombo, linguica and other Brazilian barbecued meats.

"We're commercializing Brazilian food, " said Simon Amar, one of the owners of what they hope will become a chain of restaurants cashing in on Brazilian cuisine as the next hot trend in fast-casual dining. Others have started elsewhere in the United States with sit-down chains like Fogo De Chao and Texas de Brazil.

Amar said he gets lots of Brazilian customers on weekends but Americans during the week. This faster version of the churrascaria mimics those he's seen in New York City and gives people a chance to try Brazilian food without having to spend a lot of money or dine all night.

Farther south in Gulfport is La Fogata, an upscale, slow-food churrascaria that suggests guests plan for at least a two-hour meal. Jeffrey Blanding, who runs the $45-a-plate restaurant, tells people the experience is like asking to try the entire menu in a typical restaurant.

"It may be new to the U.S., but it's not new, " said Blanding, adding that La Fogata is not specifically Brazilian but more South American.

He said the German owners are planning an expansion in the United States and overseas as the cuisine catches fire.

The Brazilians around Pinellas Park love their barbecue, but also like the community of countrymen.

Quadros said she meets many newcomers, some migrating from the U.S. Northeast, at the Portuguese-language church she attends.

Others have seen the business opportunity of a growing Brazilian population. Zenilton Bezerra started the Brazilian Post newspaper almost four years ago and has seen it grow from a few sheets to a publication brimming with advertisements.

"Eighty percent of our ads come from the Tampa Bay area, " he said of the Portuguese-language publication serving North and Central Florida. "The confidence of people is very high."

Bezerra said some Brazilians are leaving as immigration rules get tougher, but many others are choosing to start businesses and make this their home.

Many fear an unfair economy back home and relish the opportunity to be comfortable in the States.

"I was going to stay here for a few years, make some money and go home, " said Araujo of Sugar Loaf. "But now I've started a business and seen it grow. I've done things here I couldn't have done back there."

Paul Swider can be reached at 892-2271 or pswider@sptimes.com.

[Last modified June 25, 2007, 22:35:48]