Lafayette chef and restaureteur Gustavo Rosenstengel has a passion that was born in southern Brazil. The pull of wood, fire, smoke and meat drove him to open Santa Picanha in Lafayette’s downtown in January. The restaurant’s menu is Rosenstengel’s homage to foods he grew up cooking with family and friends in Porto Alegre, which is the capital and biggest city in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.
“Where I am from, we have a gaucho culture. It started with cattle drivers who live a semi-nomadic lifestyle,” he said.
Gauchos are the cowboys of South America. Their chosen cooking style incorporates wood, fire, salt and meat…