LARISSAZEV

GASTRONOMY • CULTURE • TERRITORY

I lead the creative and strategic direction of immersive experiences between gastronomy and culture to connect people and position influential brands.

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What I do

Gastronomic and cultural strategy

Gastronomy can be a powerful positioning tool, able to translate brand values into sensory, cultural and memorable experiences.

Drawing on research into territory, origin ingredients, traditions and Brazilian cultural expressions, gastronomic concepts are developed that connect brands to art, design and local knowledge. The goal is to transform food, ingredients and rituals into brand language, creating narratives able to communicate purpose, identity and value in a tangible way.

This approach allows brands from different segments to find in gastronomy a territory of their own for expression, expanding their cultural relevance and creating new forms of relationship with their audiences.

Concept, curation and creative direction

Each project starts from the brand’s goals and universe to create tailor-made experiences, such as sensory installations, artistic happenings, conceptual dinners, cultural gatherings and brand activations.

The work combines creative direction, cultural curation and strategy to define the concept of the experience, its narrative, the ingredients and products involved, the invited artists and collaborators, and how the audience will experience it.

The brand can act as host, partner, or even have its own products transformed into a central part of the gastronomic language. The result is an experience coherent with its positioning and singular enough to generate identification, conversation and genuine interest.

Experience, production and brand impact

From conception to execution, each experience is structured in partnership with a specialized network of production, set design, gastronomy and hospitality professionals, ensuring consistency between concept, aesthetics and execution.

More than producing an event, the goal is to create environments and experiences able to stay in memory and continue circulating after they end.

Projects with a strong aesthetic and cultural identity favor deeper connections with guests and communities, encourage spontaneous content, expand brand presence across different channels, and help build lasting differentiation, desire and relevance.

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Testimonials

Repertory

My relationship with creation and aesthetics began long before my professional career. I grew up immersed in the world of art and fashion through the direct influence of my mother and grandmothers — a closeness that shaped my eye early on for the value of form, texture, composition and visual sensibility.

It was that sensibility that led me into a decade-long immersion in Brazilian gastronomy and culture. Over the last 10 years, I’ve dedicated myself to experiencing the country firsthand: traveling across the national territory to get to know small and large producers, growing regions, wine regions and gastronomic businesses of different scales up close. That field experience translated into the development of original gastronomic concepts in the Southeast, Northeast and South of Brazil, connecting the richness of origin ingredients to operational efficiency and brand positioning.

This research across Brazilian territory grows in scale through an ongoing international outlook, combining field experience with constant exchange with hubs such as the United States, Latam, the United Kingdom, Norway and China.

All of this hands-on, multicultural background gains a unique layer of depth through my studies at the Escola do Inconsciente (School of the Unconscious), which gave me tools to observe and decode the symbols, feelings and patterns of the collective unconscious.

Today, the union between field experience, the strategic rigor of gastronomy, a global repertoire and a sensitive eye for the invisible grounds my practice in creative direction and experience curation. I transform memories, flavors and symbols into striking original narratives, capable of connecting brands and people to the heart of contemporary culture.

SSP Group plc

Executive Chef

may/2019 — apr/2026 | 7 years
Responsible for the strategic, creative and operational development of multiple brands and high-volume restaurants in major Brazilian airports, with end-to-end management combining menu engineering, supply chain, marketing and data intelligence. Involved in co-creating concepts with major brands and national and international chefs, leading full cycles of opening and restructuring food and beverage operations, as well as developing technical manuals, team training and brand identity standardization.

Absurda Confeitaria

aug/2024 — dec/2024 | Consulting
Operational structuring consulting, implementing recipe specs, menu engineering, production and purchasing control tools, and process standardization with team training.

Plaza Premium Group

Sous Chef

jul/2016 — may/2019 | 2 years 11 months
Acted as sous chef, actively involved in implementing and coordinating VIP lounges in a high-traffic, international-standard environment. Team leadership, menu planning and purchasing management, supplier relations, FIFO inventory control, coordination of technical and food-safety training, and responsibility for regulatory documentation and sanitary audits.

Casa Vieira Souto

Cook

sep/2014 — jul/2016 | 1 year 11 months
Worked in a high-end restaurant, focused on technique, precision and professional kitchen organization. Responsible for station inventory control, covering for the chef during absences, applying FIFO standards, and producing slow-cooked meats using braising and sous-vide techniques.

Estácio · in partnership with Alain Ducasse Formation

Higher Technical Education in Gastronomy, Culinary Arts and Gastronomic Training

2012 — 2014

Estácio

Postgraduate Degree in Restaurant Management

2014 — 2016

IBMR Business School

MBA in Strategic Business Management

2019 — 2020
contact

Every creation starts with a conversation.

Whether it's lining up a project, building something together, or just bouncing around an idea, feel free to reach out. I'll get back to you soon.

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