The World at your Table

Chef Débora Shornik and the creation of new Amazonian flavors

She runs the Caxiri restaurant, in Manaus, and presents food with ingredients based on the seasonality of the forest.

By Sut-Mie Guibert

Débora Shornik was born and raised in São Paulo but could not resist the charms of the Amazon when she discovered this place that is so different from the metropolis, full of wisdom from the land, the water and the native peoples. The city was important to her; it was there that she learned all her basic skills. But it was in the Amazon that she found herself and became enchanted. With new knowledge about ingredients, flavors and techniques, she surrendered to the charms of the region. For 6 years, she has been in charge of Caxiri, a restaurant in Manaus, where she creates new recipes and flavors by mixing local ingredients. She also runs two other restaurants, in Novo Airão, deep in the forest. One of her greatest pleasures is discovering new ingredients (which is not so difficult when dealing with the vast and rich Amazon Forest) and preparing signature dishes.

Mother of Maria Otávia, aged 6, she loves family programs and transmitting all this knowledge and love to the region that has welcomed her. She gives classes about tapioca, which is such an important ingredient in the region and so different from the small bags of the same that we buy in the supermarket.

In this conversation with Family Trip Magazine, Débora talks sensitively about her cooking and trips with her daughter in Manaus and the Amazon.

How did you start cooking?

I began in 2002, in São Paulo, at the restaurant Spot, with absolutely no intention of becoming a chef. It was something organic, which happened due to my getting to know the gastronomic universe. I started as a waitress and began to understand the complex operation of a restaurant. I worked in several areas until I entered the kitchen. This was my first contact. I then had the opportunity to work with Paola Carosella, who was my mentor, my teacher and who taught me the basis of everything I know. I worked with her at Arturito, where I was the executive chef. I took some specific courses at Senac but I never took cookery classes. I learned by working and with Paola as my teacher. She was the college I didn’t go to.

You are from São Paulo but discovered the Amazon and fell in love with it. How did this happen?

I left São Paulo in 2012 and went on a trip to Amazonas, to Novo Airão. It was there, in the mirror of Rio Negro that I saw myself as a cook and understood who I actually was. It gave me some perspective. My signature work was created and flourished there, at the Flor do Luar and Camu Camu restaurants in Novo Airão. I returned to São Paulo because I had a family and it was where, in fact, Caxiri was started. It was a small restaurant, a tribute to the Amazonian cuisine, without any pretensions. There was no boom in gastronomy and I also did not have the resources to transport any ingredients from Manaus to São Paulo. However, this was the embryo. In 2016, I opened Caxiri in Manaus, at the invitation of my current partner, Ruy Tone..

Where does the name Caxiri come from and what does it mean?

The name Caxiri comes from an indigenous friend of the Macuxi people who I knew in Novo Airão and who told me many stories and led me to make and drink this ancestral drink used in moments of joy or cleanliness. The name was chosen by me, as a gift from an indigenous person.

What is the flavor of your restaurants in the Amazon?

My style of cooking is product cooking: the ingredients always speak louder. So, the flavor respects the seasonality of the forest. It tells the stories that I have experienced over the years. It is practically 100% Amazonian cuisine. It is based on Amazonian ingredients but it is not typical food. It’s regional and the signature dishes are made from the Amazon in me.

What ingredients are always available in your kitchen?

In my kitchen, we always have flowers, tucupi (the yellow juice extracted from the root of wild cassava when peeled, grated and squeezed) in its variations and sustainably sourced fish.

What do you like to do in the Amazon with your daughter Maria Otávia (6 years old)?

We love going to Novo Airão. We also like to visit the waterfalls of Presidente Figueiredo and in Manaus, we go to the “meeting of the waters” and enjoy breakfast at the Mindu Park on weekends.

What places in Manaus would you recommend for families?

MUSA, the Museum of the Amazon, always has exhibitions, trails and an observation tower. The Amazon Theatre is very beautiful and it’s worth taking a guided tour or seeing a show. The City Museum and the Praça do Paço have an old charm and tell the history of the region. For lunch, it’s worth visiting Biatuwi – the House of Manaus Indigenous Food

What is the difference/personality of each one of your restaurants?

Flor do Luar is a floating restaurant and more popular in the best sense of the word. It is a place for bathing in the river accompanied by grilled fish, fresh juices with regional flavors and special drinks. It is a more traditional restaurant.

Camu Camu is located inside the hotel Mirante do Gavião and has a kitchen that welcomes all travelers; consequently, there are international dishes and the sort of menu that you would expect from a hotel. We have meat and pasta but always surrounded by fresh food, which is grown nearby. It is regional food that caters to different tastes, including vegetarians and kids’ menus, personalized for children.

Caxiri is my signature restaurant, which provides differentiated experiences, using regional ingredients unconventionally, including the use of PANCS (non-conventional food plants) but without leaving aside a good roast, fish or meat for the carnivores.

How do you prepare for a trip to the Amazon?

You have to open up your heart to approach the Amazon. This implies opening up to new flavors and gastronomic experiences. Prepare yourself for a completely new sensation of living, leaving your preconceptions behind and taking a deep breath of this fresh, new air.

What must a person do when visiting the region?

Bathe in the river, with its ideal temperature and black waters, and experience an “in natura” açaí.