The Centre of Excellence continues its series of reports introducing the participants of the reality show Escola de Sabores. In this report, we highlight the quilombola school cooks who, together with partner nutritionists, are reviving food traditions and strengthening the identity of quilombola communities.
The project is an initiative of the National Fund for Education Development (FNDE), the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) and the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger in Brazil.
With a degree in Geography, Ana Paula Gonçalves has been dedicated to school meals for years. She is the participant representing the Juscelino Kubitschek Municipal School in Minaçu (GO), alongside nutritionist Fernanda Marques Mendes.
Maria de Lourdes Sena has been a cook for five years at EMEF Lina Rodrigues do Nascimento in Conde (PB). Her dream is to one day set up a bakery to put more recipes into practice. She participates in the reality show with nutritionist Ana Claudia dos Santos Florentino.
Born and raised in the community where she works, Juscilene Alves dos Santos is now a cook at the school where she studied, Escola Municipal Quilombola Pedrelina Rosa, in Januária (MG). She values local foods and cooking on a wood stove. Her nutritionist partner is Waldirene Fernandes da Silva.
From São Lourenço do Sul (RS), Tamires Mendes Alves has been working at EMEF Machado de Assis for eight years and is responsible for feeding almost 300 students. She participates with nutritionist Simone Radwmann Wienke.
In Portalegre (RN), Ducivânia Ribeiro started working in the school kitchen without imagining that she would find her calling. She represents the Elvira Gomes de Moura School, accompanied by nutritionist Paloma Nascimento.
In line with the guidelines of Quilombola School Education and the PNAE, the reality show reinforces the importance of respecting the traditional food practices of communities, ensuring menus that reflect their habits and culture.
In Escola de Sabores, these professionals show how ingredients from family farming and quilombola tradition, such as cassava, pumpkin, pequi, nuts and meats, are transformed into dishes that combine flavour, history and identity.
Escola de Sabores (School of Flavours)
Broadcast:
Band: Saturdays at 12 noon
Canal Sabor & Arte: Saturdays at 9 p.m.
Terraviva Channel: Sundays at 8 p.m.
Production: Newco Pay TV
Partnership: WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger in Brazil, FNDE/MEC and ABC/MRE
Previous episodes can be viewed on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@wfpbrasil