Chef Emme is a Brazilian born Chef. Emme's family immigrated to the Seattle Area in 1994. In 1999, Emme's family opened the first Brazilian restaurant in Seattle, Tempero do Brasil. Emme grew up in the restaurant industry with a big passion for food. In 2010 she attended Seattle Culinary Academy, where she graduated from as "Outstanding Culinarian” of her graduating class, chosen by her chef instructors.
After culinary school, Emme traveled to Washington D.C., where she staged at Restaurant Nora, America’s first certified organic restaurant. There, she worked under the tutelage of celebrity chef Nora Pouillon and her team. When she returned to Seattle, she spent time working at some of Seattle’s top restaurants and catering company - including award-winning restaurant, Mamnoon, where she worked under the James Beard-nominated Chef Garrett Melkonian.
In 2013, Emme began working as a Private Chef. She has provided chef services to celebrity & high profile clients in the Seattle area including, Eddie Vedder, Jamal Crawford, Russel Wilson, Ciara and Craig McCaw. Her work as a private chef soon evolved to launching her boutique catering company, Soul and Spice. She has catered hundreds of events from weddings and birthday celebrations to corporate events.
In 2017, Emme took over he family's Brazilian restaurant and launched her concept, Alcove Dining Room. Alcove was an ode to her Afro-Brazilian roots and Pacific Northwest upbringing. Alcove received various accolades, including a 2.5-star review from The Seattle Times. After closing Alcove, she served as the first District Chef for Seattle Public Schools, where she was in charge of menu creation and recipe development. During her time at SPS, Emme created several successful programs, such as the Taste of SPS, that helped provide more locally source, culturally relevant foods to the children of Seattle.
Emme launched her pop-up, Baiana, in 2023. Baiana serves authentic Afro-Brazilian foods like acarajé and feijoada.
Emme is a member of the Seattle chapter of Les Dames D'Escoffier, where she is a member of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee. In 2019, she won the Legacy Award from LDEI and traveled to New Orleans to work with James Beard Award-Winner, Chef Nina Compton. She also serves as a member of the Chef Anne Foundation Advisory Board. The Chef Ann Foundation is dedicated to promoting whole-ingredient, scratch-cooking in schools. She served as a James Beard Foundation Award judge in the 2022 awards.
Emme was named one of 'The 100 Most Influential People in Seattle' by Seattle Met. She won the title of Food Network's Chopped Champion in 2021 In 2022, she beat Iron Chef, Alex Guarnaschelli, in the first round of her Food Network Show 'Alex V. America'. She was selected as a 2023 Black Women in Food honoree by Dine Diaspora. She has been featured as a guest speaker at Cherry Bombe Magazine’s annual Jubilee festival and has appeared on Food Network, FOX Network, New Day Northwest , Q13 Fox News, Globo International Television and NW Women Star of Food & Wine. Her work has been featured on Food Network Online, Seattle Magazine, Seattle Met Bride and Groom, Pacific Northwest Weddings, The Kitchn, The New York Times, Seattle Weekly Blog, Examiner and Crave Local.
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