OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — If you’re into Brazilian cuisine and culture, this one is for you - there’s a festival going on this weekend in Osceola County. It’s the 5th year of Expo Brazil, bringing the best of what Brazil has to offer. “Everyone is just going above and beyond this year to do so much better than we did last year,” said Ana Oliveira, Expo Brazil Coordinator.
The signs are everywhere, and it feels like walking through the streets of Brazil without leaving home. “Having this here kind of brings us all together. You don’t have that feeling of being left out. We kind of made it our home here,” Oliveira said.
It’s Florida’s largest festival of Brazilian culture, held at the Heritage Park in Osceola County. “This is great,” said Isabel Flores, with Uninter, a Brazilian American online college. “More than ever, I think we have to stay together, work together. More than ever, we should support our community.”
The place is surrounded by dance, clothes, music, and of course, there’s food. “We got the most popular food in Brazil. We have the Brazilian empanadas. We have the coxinhas,” said Renan Martins, owner of ‘Sfihas’, a Brazilian local food chain with restaurants in Metrowest and International Drive. “It’s important for us to be here to show our culture to the others, to Americans, to spread the culture.”
At Expo Brazil, visitors also have access to free health services and immigration counseling. “Because it is such a sensitive subject but also a harsh set of laws, any kind of mistake or misstep could turn somebody’s dream into a nightmare,” said Andrew Bowers, immigration attorney at the event. “Being able to give that information on a one-to-one basis is just a privilege.”
Expo Brazil started as a group of Brazilian moms who moved to Florida and were exchanging tips about life in a different country. Five years - and over 100 vendors later - the event became a staple in the community. “I feel so grateful to be able to help the community this way. The women and the whole community,” said Vanessa Olivera, who created the group, five years ago. “And to be the person in charge of this, is really a blessing.”
For those attending the event, it’s a chance to uplift one another and the entire community. “I’m proud to be here because as I achieve the American dream, I think a lot of Brazilians also dream with that,” said Breno Donatti, with Winfield Coffee. Expo Brazil is free and it runs until Sunday at 4p.
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