Brooklyn’s culinary scene has never lacked ambition. Still, few chefs carry a story quite like Sherry Cardoso — one that stretches from a rural farm in Brazil to some of New York City’s most elite kitchens, and now, to the national stage on “Top Chef.”
In an interview with Brooklyn Paper, Cardoso shared her international upbringing.
“I was born in New York, but grew up in Brazil — both of my parents are Brazilian,” she said. “I grew up in a very small town. My uncle had a farm, so I spent a lot of time there on the weekends.”
That early exposure to food, not in fancy dining rooms but in family kitchens, would eventually shape a multifaceted career.
After returning to the United States at 14, Cardoso attended culinary school in Jersey City and quickly immersed herself in fine dining. Her résumé reads like a tour of New York’s 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.
She went on to serve as executive sous chef at Brooklyn Fare before leading kitchens across the city, including Café 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’s.
Now, Cardoso is stepping into her most personal role yet: chef/partner of Cynthia’s, her newly opened West Village restaurant centered on sustainability and minimizing waste.
“It’s been three weeks, and it’s been such a journey,” she said. “But I’m so happy with the food that we’re being able to produce.”
For Cardoso, food has always meant more than technique. Unlike many chefs, she didn’t grow up idolizing culinary icons.
“I always find it a little weird… most of my colleagues or my chef friends, they always looked up to somebody,” she said. “And I didn’t fall in love with food until I read Ruth Reichl’s autobiography ‘Garlic and Sapphires.’”
That book changed everything for her.
“That was the first time I saw somebody talking about food like poetry,” Cardoso said. “For me, food had this much deeper meaning of being like a language of love.”
That philosophy is deeply personal. Raised by a single mother, Cardoso learned early on how care could be expressed through meals.
“She wasn’t 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,” she said. “For me, that just clicked.”
Cynthia’s, she added, is “like a love letter to New York, but also to my mother.”
Cardoso’s sense of purpose also shaped her decision to join season 23 of “Top Chef,” a move timed with both her 40th birthday and her first independent restaurant.
She’s competing with 14 other chefs from around the country for a $250,000 grand prize, a feature in “Food & Wine” Magazine and a myriad of other perks. This season, set in the Carolinas, is hosted by Kristen Kish and features judges like Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons.
“I knew that I wanted to open a restaurant, and this year I’m going to turn 40,” she said. “I thought it was the perfect timing. It’s now or never.”
Still, the transition from kitchen to camera wasn’t easy.
“I almost lost it,” Cardoso admitted. “I’m very introverted. Being in the kitchen is very different than being in front of a camera. I just second-guessed everything.”
But leaning into vulnerability became part of the experience.
“I was so myself. I had so much fun on the show,” she said. “I didn’t go on to play a character. I’m very direct, I’m very focused, but I’m also a goofball at times.”
The competition itself proved more intense than expected.
“I always thought that if I went on the show, I would win,” she said with a laugh. “On the first few challenges, I was humbled very quickly.”
What stayed with her most, however, wasn’t the pressure — it was the people.
“Outside of the kitchen, we spent so much time together. I built some really great friendships,” Cardoso said. “We 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.”
One of those connections recently returned to New York when fellow contestant Oscar Diaz visited her restaurant.
“I took him all around New York,” she said. “I want [all this season’s ‘Top Chef’ contestants] to come and do a collab at my space.”
For Brooklyn diners and fans of the show, Cardoso’s journey is no longer confined to television. It’s unfolding nightly in her open kitchen, where she invites guests not just to eat, but to connect.
“Come to Cynthia’s,” she said. “I’m there. It’s an open kitchen. You can come and say hi — I can spill some tea and talk gossip about the show.”
“Top Chef” airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
