Fernando Vaz was found on Sullivan Street in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City, serving bifanas to dozens of passersby during the “Portugal in Soho” event, organized by the Arte Institute to celebrate Portuguese culture and heritage.
The aim is to introduce traditional Portuguese cuisine to New York, explained the 31-year-old Portuguese man, who works as a tour guide in Lisbon and seeks to capitalize on the “enormous increase in the number of Americans visiting Portugal.”
“I visit New York regularly and noticed a lack of traditional Portuguese cuisine offerings in the city. The available Portuguese food has been adapted to the New York market. The intention here is to bring a product that represents the streets of Lisbon, which is the city I come from,” he explained.
With one hand holding the bread – “real grandmother’s bread,” assured Fernando – while placing the meat with the other, the North American observers watched every movement. The mustard is up to the customer’s preference.
He was inspired by Afonso’s Bifanas and learned the dish execution at Solar dos Presuntos, the entrepreneur and tour guide recounted, ensuring that the secret lies in the bread, sourced directly from Newark, home to a significant Portuguese community in neighboring New Jersey.
“It’s going very well. The Portuguese say it tastes like home, and Americans describe it as a flavor explosion. Therefore, it’s the best feedback possible,” he celebrated.
“Sandwiches are very popular here and, indeed, there’s no sandwich quite like the bifana in New York. We can talk about Cuban sandwiches or pulled pork, but it’s not the same, especially as the bread makes a big difference. We get our bread from a Portuguese bakery in Newark,” he stressed.
The most challenging component to find for his bifana was indeed the bread, as he wanted one that “truly represents Portugal 100%,” but he assures that he found it and is “very happy” with it.
In recent months, Mr. Bifana has been touring New York in a ‘pop-up’ format, appearing in several establishments and events in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
This approach is “good for testing the concept and gathering feedback” from American and Portuguese customers to refine the product and shape it for future steps.
Although he has a return to Lisbon already scheduled, Fernando Vaz guaranteed he will soon return to New York to continue this project and urged other Portuguese entrepreneurs and chefs to seize this opportunity.
“Portugal is here to stay. This is the moment to bring Portugal to New York, I have no doubt,” said the tour guide, who has visited about 100 countries.
“More should come, bring more, we need more traditional Portuguese cuisine in New York,” he urged.
On Facebook, the Consulate General of Portugal in New York referred to Mr. Bifana as “a market exploration initiative heading towards business expansion and with everything it needs to be a huge success among the American and international public in the city.”
