Soso's Brazilian Treats
BRAZILIAN NATIVE SHARES DELCIOUS TREATS IN ACADIANA
By Abby Meaux Conques
“The process of making Brazilian treats is my therapy.” We caught up with Soraya Seixas, owner of Soso’s Brazilian Treats, or you may know her as “the lady from the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market” with the brigadeiros (traditional bite-size Brazilian dessert balls made with condensed milk, cocoa powder, butter) and the pão de queijo (traditional Brazilian cheese bread). People head to the farmer’s market each Saturday hoping to grab the newest brigadeiro flavor concoction that Soraya experiments with late at night or on the weekends. Others are partial to the addictive cheese bread. Most order both. Soraya grew up in a traditional Brazilian family where certain food items were expected to be on the menu for gatherings and celebrations. “It wasn't uncommon for people to go to a wedding and put a few cheese breads and brigadeiros in their bags before leaving,” she laughed. “Eventually people started to make little to-go bags with the treats in them for people to enjoy later when they got home.” She described growing up as an only child with her parents and aunts in the kitchen making traditional breads and sweets. “I started baking as a teenager, especially the sweets...and became responsible for being the person to bring the desserts for special occasions,” she explained. Soraya eventually made her way to the U.S. to pursue an MBA at the University of Richmond in Virginia. “I also wanted to improve my English and immerse myself in the culture,” she said. She eventually found her way to Lafayette with her eyes on another business degree. Louisiana reminded her of Brazil in an interesting way. “In Virginia, my friends would say, ‘let’s meet up’, but here my friends would say ‘come to my house, and my Mom’s house’ and all of these families were so welcoming and always wanted to feed you! That’s how it is in Brazil. In Brazil people are warm and welcoming and go out of their way to help you…I felt that again here.” Her idea to make and sell her favorite tastes of home came from some advice from a former co-worker. “I’d crave traditional cheese bread or cakes and I couldn’t eat all of what I’d make, so I’d bring some to work. My coworkers would try it and say, ‘You could sell this!’” At that point Soraya didn’t know where to begin until a friend mentioned the farmer’s market. Since November 2020, Soraya has had her booth at almost every Saturday of the market. People expect to see her there now and she’s had to tell customers beforehand if she won’t be there so they aren’t disappointed if they don’t get their cheese bread or brigadeiro fix.
