Oi Gente, Sejam Bem-Vindos!
I’m Camille, a Carioca from birth and Californian since 2005.
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A história.
I left my hometown of Rio when I was 17 to go to college in Vermont. Eager to flee the nest and build my own, I never moved back. My visits dissipated, and eventually, all that was left was a second language I barely used and an occasional encounter with a Coxinha.
In March 2022 my dad passed away in his new country of residence, France. In a story longer than the modern day has the attention span for, it was left for me to deliver his ashes, by hand, to his cemetery of choice in Rio de Janeiro. It had been 15 years since I had been home. What felt like a tall ask, turned out to be his greatest gift to me.
On the heels of becoming a mother of two and going through the isolation of a global pandemic, being with people who knew my soul, in a city that held my story, brought me to my knees. The result was two visits to Rio, 3 months apart, that were dedicated equally to sorting bureaucracy as they were to reconnecting with family, friends, and my own identity.
The Carioca Kitchen is a love letter to Rio. An aggregation of stories, recipes, and objects that remind me of the home I left behind. And a reason to make sure my kids know their heritage, and that I never forget mine again.
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