Meet the Chef

André has an immense passion for barbecue — a fire passed on from his father during family barbecues while growing up in Brazil. The atmosphere, the fun and the laughter shared over a good meal simply couldn't be beaten. So when André went to university, he couldn't wait to bring that experience to his mates over a barbecue on the weekends — his favourite way to relax and enjoy good company.

When André arrived in Australia, his love of barbecuing only grew. He became a professional chef, learning the trade from the ground up in restaurants across Sydney — and, more importantly, he discovered that the real secret to a perfect barbecue lies in the sauces and marinades crafted for the meat. Slowly, he began perfecting his own recipes, influenced by the flavours of home. After endless experimenting and refining, he arrived at a range of sauces and marinades he knew was a hit. Certain that success meant investing everything he had, and with the support of his wife Lenka and his family, André opened his first Braza Churrascaria in Leichhardt in 2007 — and the rest is history.

Today, Braza Churrascaria is an authentic Brazilian barbecue house serving world-renowned Australian meats. It is an "eat to your satisfaction" restaurant, with the traditional Brazilian service known as rodízio — where the passadores, our meat carvers, move from table to table with more than twenty different cuts on the skewer and over fourteen sides.