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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
On the Grill: Salah and Suile Al-Ayube spent almost two years searching for a great location.
A Taste of Brazil
By Chantal Lamers
Hardly anyone has time to travel to exotic countries these days--where one can sit back, relax and sink one's teeth into exotic cuisine. So in addition to his nine-to-five job, Glenite Salah Al-Ayube spent two years attending the culinary academy so he could bring a little taste of Brazil to the Bay Area.
Al-Ayube opened Nabraza, (which means on the grill) earlier this month, at 2523 Winchester Blvd. in Campbell. It wasn't Al-Ayube's lifelong dream to open a Brazilian restaurant. His three siblings and he were taught to cook, clean and sew at a young age. By the time he was 12, his mother made sure he cooked two meals each week. He developed a lasting love for cooking.
Al-Ayube who grew up in San Jose, graduated from San Jose State University with degrees in biochemistry and industrial engineering. Al-Ayube worked at NASA before taking a job as a chief software architect with Microsoft. He enjoyed his career, but began to daydream of opening an authentic Brazilian restaurant.
One evening, while he was staying in a Washington State hotel and watching television, a commercial someone standing in front of an empty storefront. Suddenly, that storefront turned into that person's own business. The idea stuck with Al-Ayube, and he shortly began researching how to make his grill into reality.
A little over two years ago, Al-Ayube saved up some money and joined the culinary academy at Mission College. By day he wore his suit and tie to the office and by night he wore a chef's hat and apron to cooking school. He even took some time off work one summer, to attend the culinary academy in his native Brazil.
He and his wife, Suile, spent almost two years searching the Bay Area for a location. When Al-Ayube was about to give up, he stumbled upon an empty Winchell's Donut Store.
He says it was difficult to purchase the yellow-and-tan-colored store, complete with counters and donut display cases, and still imagine the completed project. He and his family went to work on the old donut shop and transformed it into an elegant little place to dine.
Before buying into the restaurant business, Al-Ayube completed an internship at the five-star dining club, Silicon Valley Capitol Club. He models aspects of his restaurant after a five-star club including the décor, napkin settings and food quality.
Nabraza offers a full range of Brazilian cooking. Al-Ayube says although there are about a handful of Brazilian restaurants throughout the Bay Area--his is the only one that offers a full range of the authentic cooking.
Brazilian cooking is the result of three different cultures--Native Indians, the conquering Portuguese and the African slaves. The different backgrounds of its people influenced the unique taste in Brazilian dishes.
The unique tastes at Nabraza include the Churrasco. The meat is barbecued and prepared the Brazilian way. It is marinated in exotic herbs, grilled on skewers over mesquite coals and served sizzling hot.
Al-Ayube says that customers are crazy about Guarana, a Brazilian soft drink and the fresh, frothy lemonade blended from limes. The fried banana frita has been a hit with children and adults, he says.
On Saturdays, a small jazz quartet plays. Patrons can dine on the patio under banana trees, or inside surrounded by Brazilian art work. Al-Ayube says the art, painted on empty coffee sacks, represent different Brazilian tribes. He traveled to Belem, at the mouth of the Amazon, to meet the artist and purchase some pieces for his restaurant.
"Things are going very, very well," he says. "I'm impressed. I didn't think things would take off as fast as they did."
Nabraza is open Wednesday through Thursday from 6 to 9:30 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 6 to 10:30 p.m. For information, call 408.871.1248.
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Campbell, California
