Smoked & Juicy

Mateo Souza

Mateo spent twenty years as a commercial fisherman off the coast of Bahia before a severe injury forced him into early retirement. Feeling useless and facing depression, he turned to the kitchen of his youth, mastering the slow-cooked, palm-oil-rich seafood stews (moqueca) his grandfather taught him. He started cooking Sunday lunches for neighborhood teenagers who lacked parental support, turning his modest back porch into a sanctuary. To Mateo, every bowl of stew is an anchor, reminding vulnerable youth that they are always welcome at a full table.