Caroline Martins
Caroline Martins
Leaving behind a career in plasma physics in the US to chase her dream of becoming a chef, Caroline Martins has gone on to make a name for herself here in the UK thanks to her refined modern Brazilian cookery. She’s currently wowing guests at her Manchester chef’s table restaurant SAMPA with a Brazilian-British fusion tasting menu.
It’s fair to say that Caroline Martins didn’t take the traditional route to becoming a chef. Having grown up in the suburbs of São Paolo, Caroline spent the first decade of her working life studying for a PhD before moving to Texas to work in academia as a plasma physicist. It was a longing for creativity that ultimately drew her away from the world of science and towards a career in the kitchen. Caroline had always been a food and restaurant obsessive, so becoming a chef felt like the logical move. After entering Brazilian MasterChef and progressing through the first few rounds, she made perhaps the most important decision of her career and moved to London in 2017 to attend Le Cordon Bleu.
Six months of intense training at the prestigious cookery school was immediately followed by six months in Italy learning the art of pastry at the two-Michelin-starred Trenkerstube at Hotel Castel. Caroline returned to the UK in 2018 and began working in some of the capital’s most reputable kitchens including Galvin La Chappelle, Pidgin and Kitchen Table. By 2020, she felt ready to open her own restaurant and made the decision to move up to Manchester, having fallen in love with the city and its, at the time, burgeoning food scene. The COVID lockdown temporarily put pay to her restaurant plans, and saw her instead become a private chef for a number of Premier League footballers before doing a number of pop-ups across the city, under the name São Paolo Project.
Over the course of her own pop-ups (which also led to a foray into street food in the form of Mexican-Brazilian fusion brand RIO-MEX), Caroline began to establish her own distinct style of food, which combines her experience cooking refined plates in high-end kitchens with her love of classic Brazilian flavours and dishes. This led to appearances on BBC’s Great British Menu in 2022 and 2023, where she represented the north-west region, and culminated in Caroline opening her very own chef’s table restaurant SAMPA (the Brazilian nickname for São Paolo) in 2024. At SAMPA, she serves a twelve-course tasting menu of what she describes as British-Brazilian fusion dishes, showcasing both her immense skill as a chef and a playful approach to the food she grew up eating.
How would you describe your style of cookery?
My style is all about finding the best local ingredients and then putting a Brazilian spin on them. I want to show people flavours and techniques that they haven’t heard of before. It’s all about being creative but also showcasing my origins and my culture.
What ingredient couldn’t you live without?
I don’t think I could live without cassava. It’s such an important vegetable in Brazilian cuisine and is so versatile. I use it in so many different ways on the menu
Which chef has been the biggest inspiration to you throughout your career?
I’d say James Knappett and Sandia Chang have to be up there. They’re both so clever, but not just kitchen clever, they’re incredibly business savvy. The way that they diversified by opening Bubbledogs made so much sense. I learnt a lot from being around them. As a chef, James is also incredibly passionate about ingredients and treats them with so much care. When I was at Kitchen Table, we also always used to go foraging every week, which I really fell in love with.
What’s the most memorable meal you’ve ever had?
I was lucky enough to go to D.O.M in São Paolo and it was absolutely incredible. Brazil is such a huge country – in every region, from Santa Catalina to Amazonas, there will be some kind of dish or ingredient that you’ve never heard about. At D.O.M, the chef managed to put every element that was special to him in one tasting menu, so it honestly felt like travelling through all the Brazilian states in three hours.
Why do you love the food of São Paolo?
São Paolo is a bit like London in the sense that you have people there from all over the country and the world. It’s a complete melting pot of different cultures, so when you go to restaurants there it’s crazy because everyone is bringing their own heritage into their food - you’re never just eating the same thing over and over.
What do you like to do when you’re not cooking?
I love film photography - shooting on 35mm. I often walk around with my dog Larry, taking photos of him and the city. The Peak District is also very nearby so we often go walking there too.
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