Kenny cousins
Finding joy in every moment is simply a prerequisite
Catch Up With Cuz
SANTO BRÚKLIN: PEDRO & NAINA
Pedro & Naina enjoying the calm before the Sunday Feijoada brunch
Can you introduce yourselves?
We are family! In Brazil, cousins are close, more like siblings. We [Pedro & Naina] were raised together and when Pedro got married to Sara, his wife, we became the 3 Little Pigs. We are just like any other 30-year-old kid in Brooklyn: we look for fun at work, we try to have healthy life styles, and spend as much time as possible with our cats. Opening a little restaurant in Brooklyn we mix work and pleasure and we’ve been having tons of fun hosting our loved ones and making new friends.
When did the restaurant open and what was the inspiration behind the name?
We opened in March this year, during the COVID-19 shutdown, where restaurants could only operate as takeout and delivery service. As for the bar—in Brazil many bars and restaurants are named after saints. We are not particularly religious, but we all found in Brooklyn some sort of bliss and today we call it home. We wanted a name that would translate a bit of our both homes.
In addition, the first bar owned by our family in Brazil was called All Saints (Todos is Santos) and it was located in a neighborhood called Brúklin. We thought that was a funny little coincidence
The Santo Brúklin storefront outside on Court Street
Pedro raises a freshly made Patrāo for a toast
Only freshly squeezed juices around these parts
Do y’all have a favorite menu item?
That’s a tough one. But we must admit we became big fans of our Chef Luca Frau, Italian dude who never been to Brazil but is so talented that created the best Pao de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) we ever tried!
What kind of programming and events can NYC expect from y’all?
Currently as special events we’ve been hosting Movie nights on Wednesdays—your seat can be reserved through RESY and it includes a generous appetizer platter. On Thursdays—PDQ slider—for the Brazilian cheese bread lovers we make a unique cheese bread special every Thursday. Sunday is Feijoada—along with our awesome brunch and dinner menus we serve this Brazilian delicacy—a yummy pork and black bean stew which Brazilians award themselves to once a week. And we have happy hour drinks every weekday from 4pm to 7pm. On occasion we live stream musical performances, all announced on our Instagram.
Anyone else now hungry?
Please mind the step
Naina checks on the guests of Santo Brúklin as they enjoy brunch
What’s something you’d like people to know about Santo that they may not be aware of?
That we are made by real people, like you, your cousin, your roommate. Our ambition is to pay the bills while showing our guests some good time, yummy food and creating good memories.
What’s next for Brooklyn’s newest Brazilian restaurant?
We hope NYC recovers from COVID-19 the soonest so we can stuff our dining room and backyard with good people like you to enjoy some good Brazilian life and dining style
BERNARDO RODRIGUEZ
Who is Bernardo Rodriguez?
Sapien, first and foremost. Explorer of ideas, more than most. I wish more and more people everyday could explore their ideas because there are so many. We tend to fall into certain patterns, where we can get caught up in the instant gratification of the society that we’re in. We tend not to explore our own ideas and we consume other people’s. I’m someone who is trying to connect the inevitable truths of everyone on paper in a very simple way. And with my ideas, I want to find commonality.
What’s something you want people to know about you?
I’m not as mad as I may look sometimes [laughs]. As soon as you get to know me more, you realize I’m not someone who is gonna come off aggressive. But, I think it’s because I’m deep in thought. On the subway, there’s so many different cultures, there is so much going on. That face is not there to intimidate anybody, it’s just my natural face when I’m concentrating. I even bring that to work sometimes and it’s funny because I don’t even notice it myself.
Rodriguez at Cachapas y Mas on Dyckman Street
The many sides of Rodriguez
Rodriguez looking focused in Anne Loftus Playground, situated at the northeast edge of Fort Tryon Park
What do you want people to know about Dyckman?
Dyckman is full of people’s that are just looking to do what’s best for their legacy, for their family. For everyone that’s gonna come after them. There’s so many people here that are doing what they do, with what little they have. There’s people selling on the street, but it’s people selling fruit and hearty things. Clothes. Yea, they might have got it off a truck, but they’re hustling. There’s a lot of hustle going on.
Weathering the elements, Rodriguez walks optimistically into 2020
Rodriguez gazes inside a neighborhood mom and pop shop
How do you prepare yourself to create?
In the morning I wake up and immediately do some quick yoga to wake my body up. I use my pull-up bar that’s right next to the kitchen. I’ll hang for 30 seconds and then I’ll relax and hang another 30. Afterwards, I drink some water with a little himalayan salt. Then I’ll start making my morning shake. That’s what the morning is about. It’s to put the nutrients back in and awaken the body and mind. When you have both in sync, you’re the healthiest version of yourself. And I try and start my mornings off right because it’s crucial to that.
What do you want your art to stand for, what do you want people to see in it?
At the end of the day, I want the interpretation of the viewer to be everything. So if you feel a certain type of way by looking at my piece, my explanation is meaningless. Because at the end of the day, when I’m creating something, that’s when it’s served its purpose for me. Right now, I’m looking at this painting I made in college, and that painting is so many years behind me already. It’s served its purpose. If someone sees it at one of my shows, and be like, “wow,” then what does my explanation even have to do with it. That’s their truth. It’s what I want people to see.