{"id":219656,"date":"2026-05-04T19:49:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T19:49:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/219656\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T19:49:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T19:49:42","slug":"brooklyn-chef-sherry-cardoso-serves-up-her-story-and-soul-to-bravos-top-chef-season-23-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/219656\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn chef Sherry Cardoso serves up her story and soul to Bravo\u2019s \u2018Top Chef\u2019 season 23 \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brooklyn\u2019s culinary scene has never lacked ambition. Still, few chefs carry a story quite like Sherry Cardoso<\/a> \u2014 one that stretches from a rural farm in Brazil to some of New York City\u2019s most elite kitchens, and now, to the national stage on \u201cTop Chef.\u201d\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

In an interview with Brooklyn Paper, Cardoso shared her international upbringing.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI was born in New York, but grew up in Brazil \u2014 both of my parents are Brazilian,\u201d she said. \u201cI grew up in a very small town. My uncle had a farm, so I spent a lot of time there on the weekends.\u201d<\/p>\n

That early exposure to food<\/a>, not in fancy dining rooms but in family kitchens, would eventually shape a multifaceted career.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After returning to the United States at 14, Cardoso attended culinary school in Jersey City and quickly immersed herself in fine dining. Her r\u00e9sum\u00e9 reads like a tour of New York\u2019s most celebrated kitchens: Le Cirque, where she worked under Christophe Bellanca; Anthos, the Michelin-starred Greek restaurant led by Michael Psilakis; and later, Per Se, where she spent four years honing her craft under Chef Thomas Keller.<\/p>\n

\"SherryCardoso said that her many experiences have shaped her into the chef she is today.Photo by Paul Cheney\/Bravo<\/p>\n

She went on to serve as executive sous chef at Brooklyn Fare before leading kitchens across the city, including Caf\u00e9 Cluny and Metropolis with the Marcus Samuelsson Group. Along the way, she partnered with restaurateur Greg Baxtrom to open several Brooklyn concepts, including Olmsted, Maison Yaki and Patti Ann\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Now, Cardoso is stepping into her most personal role yet: chef\/partner of Cynthia\u2019s, her newly opened West Village restaurant centered on sustainability and minimizing waste.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been three weeks, and it\u2019s been such a journey,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I\u2019m so happy with the food that we\u2019re being able to produce.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

For Cardoso, food has always meant more than technique. Unlike many chefs, she didn\u2019t grow up idolizing culinary icons.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI always find it a little weird\u2026 most of my colleagues or my chef friends, they always looked up to somebody,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I didn\u2019t fall in love with food until I read Ruth Reichl\u2019s autobiography \u2018Garlic and Sapphires.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

That book changed everything for her.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the first time I saw somebody talking about food like poetry,\u201d Cardoso said. \u201cFor me, food had this much deeper meaning of being like a language of love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Ruth Reichl\u2019s autobiography \u201cGarlic and Sapphires\u201d was where Cardosos love for food began.Photo by Paul Cheney\/Bravo<\/p>\n

That philosophy is deeply personal. Raised by a single mother, Cardoso learned early on how care could be expressed through meals.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe wasn\u2019t the type of person that would pick you up and tell you that she loved you, but she would make us our favorite meals all the time,\u201d she said. \u201cFor me, that just clicked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cynthia\u2019s, she added, is \u201clike a love letter to New York, but also to my mother.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Cardoso\u2019s sense of purpose also shaped her decision to join season 23 of \u201cTop Chef,\u201d a move timed with both her 40th birthday and her first independent restaurant.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s competing with 14 other chefs from around the country for a $250,000 grand prize, a feature in \u201cFood & Wine\u201d Magazine and a myriad of other perks. This season<\/a>, set in the Carolinas, is hosted by Kristen Kish and features judges like Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cTop Chef\u201d is a nationally-renowned TV competition show hosted by Chef Kristen Kish.Photo by Paul Cheney\/Bravo<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew that I wanted to open a restaurant, and this year I\u2019m going to turn 40,\u201d she said. \u201cI thought it was the perfect timing. It\u2019s now or never.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the transition from kitchen to camera wasn\u2019t easy.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI almost lost it,\u201d Cardoso admitted. \u201cI\u2019m very introverted. Being in the kitchen is very different than being in front of a camera. I just second-guessed everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

But leaning into vulnerability became part of the experience.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so myself. I had so much fun on the show,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t go on to play a character. I\u2019m very direct, I\u2019m very focused, but I\u2019m also a goofball at times.\u201d<\/p>\n

The competition itself proved more intense than expected.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI always thought that if I went on the show, I would win,\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cOn the first few challenges, I was humbled very quickly.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

What stayed with her most, however, wasn\u2019t the pressure \u2014 it was the people.
\n\"SherryThe chef said she has made meaningful connections with fellow cheftestants.Photo by Paul Cheney\/Bravo\n<\/p>\n

\u201cOutside of the kitchen, we spent so much time together. I built some really great friendships,\u201d Cardoso said. \u201cWe would have these five minutes waiting to walk into set, and that was enough for us to just bond and share some really real stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of those connections recently returned to New York when fellow contestant Oscar Diaz<\/a> visited her restaurant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI took him all around New York,\u201d she said. \u201cI want [all this season\u2019s \u2018Top Chef\u2019 contestants] to come and do a collab at my space.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

For Brooklyn diners and fans of the show, Cardoso\u2019s journey is no longer confined to television. It\u2019s unfolding nightly in her open kitchen, where she invites guests not just to eat, but to connect.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome to Cynthia\u2019s,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m there. It\u2019s an open kitchen. You can come and say hi \u2014 I can spill some tea and talk gossip about the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTop Chef\u201d airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on Bravo.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n