Translated from Portuguese with Google Translate; (automatic; not revised).
The original concept of the MINAS Brazilian Steakhouse restaurant was to bring Canada the delicious taste of Minas Gerais food. Known throughout Brazil, Minas Gerais cuisine is a mixture of European and African influences, and that is what makes it so tasty.
Some of the most famous foods in MINAS are cheese bread, feijoada, and tropeiro beans. The restaurant also offers other Brazilian foods and drinks such as coxinha, caipirinha, and cachaça. Not to mention the Brazilian barbecue, with different meats, such as picanha, rump, sausages, and others.
The wide variety of foods is one of the key points for the excellent response of customers. There are also other reasons for MINAS ‘success. Unlike other Brazilian steakhouses, the menu includes a diverse scope of Brazilian cuisine, thus serving a broader clientele. On the menu, there is also the innovative gastronomic experience of the carvery, with a fair price and excellent service.
The executive chef and owner of MINAS Brazilian Steakhouse, Jose Montes, has established restaurants in six different countries and has over thirty years of knowledge and experience in barbecue and Brazilian cuisine. The fact that he was born and raised in Minas Gerais, in addition to his skills in preparing high quality meat and food in the traditional Brazilian style, are the key to the restaurant’s success.
Carolina Lopez (wife of Jose Montes), owner and business manager, has a strong passion for Brazilian culture and cuisine. She has extensive experience in management and design. His vision was to create a restaurant like no other, inspired by the historic Brazilian city of Ouro Preto, in Minas Gerais. Originally from Costa Rica, she knows the importance of celebrating culture and food with family and friends.
MINAS was opened in March 2015. In October 2019, José and Carolina decided to expand their business by acquiring Brazil Connection, the only physical and online supermarket with products from Brazil in Calgary. But, it was not easy to transform MINAS into what it is today.
In 2015, the recession hit Canada and the start of the venture became more difficult than expected. It took a series of adjustments to keep the company running today.
This year, this other recession. In March 2020, MINAS ‘fifth anniversary, Calgary received the first case of coronavirus. The table service was closed and the restaurant started to depend only on takeout orders, like many other restaurants. In addition, there was a need to overcome other difficulties, such as the supply of food and packaging. But, at the same time, there was no interruption in the delivery of Brazilian goods, butchers and MINAS products to an extraordinary number of homes in Calgary and Canada. Thanks to the small team, regular customers and the support of the community, MINAS keeps working.
Carolina Lopez emphasizes: “We are not sorry to be on this journey. It is a pleasure to continue offering people the best food, products and services that we can offer. We hope to continue to improve and continue to expand to give many others more access to our business. No it is easy to overcome the impact of this pandemic. It is more of a challenge, but we know that, with great support and a lot of determination, we will find a way, once again. ”
The Minas Brazilian Steakhouse restaurant is open, with delivery and take-out service. The online store continues to function normally.
