PORTUGAL MEETS MOZAMBIQUE: COZINHA MOÇAMBICANA

Award winning cookbook author and chef, Jeny Sulemange, of the famed Cantinho do Aziz, was born in Mozambique and moved to Europe as an adult spending time between the U.K. and Portugal. Lisbon is where she resides most of the year when she is not on global cooking explorations or being invited to guest chef in renowned dining establishments such as the James Beard House in New York City.The story unfolds for Jeny as a young apprentice in her mother’s kitchen experimenting and eventually modernizing secret family recipes. Through dedication and lots of trial and error perfecting her culinary skills, Jeny became a sought-after chef with accolades coming from food bloggers and journalists being published in magazines such as Bon Appétit, Saveur and Food & Wine.The book is filled with authentic tales of sharing good flavorful meals with family and the birth of the restaurant, Cantinho do Aziz, which started similar to all great success stories, with a bit of luck, hard work, and the vision of its original owners, Mr. Aziz and his wife, Dona Farida, the restaurant’s original chef and pioneer of Mozambican cuisine in Lisbon. Chef Farida supported the restaurant’s opening in the early days with a simple motto to her husband, “I cook, you serve,” we will make it work.Cozinha Moçambicana has claimed both categories, “Best Woman Chef Book” and “Best Portuguese” from Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2019.Follow Chef Jeny on Instagram @chefjenysulemange for the latest recipes or at Cantinho do Aziz for dining and events @cantinhodoaziz. Read more