Bia Flores

Beatriz (Bia) Flores was born in Vitoria da Conquista, Bahia/Brazil. Her love of the culinary arts, and the development of those skills, blossomed during the time she created the first self-service restaurant in Vitoria da Conquista, “A Quilo” (so named because customers paid for dishes by weight). The menu was unique, tasty—and proved to be a wild success.

Flores later moved to Salvador, Bahia, where she established a second similarly themed restaurant and a canteen. Both restaurants continue to serve local and loyal customers ranging from faculty at the university to local business professionals.

In 2001, Flores immigrated to the United States and married, while continuing to hone her culinary skills. Her travels to Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal and other countries gave her additional insights into ingredients and cooking styles that she would incorporate into her own health-conscious creations.

 In 2011, Flores took culinary courses at the famed Paris L’Ecole Lenôtre in Paris, where she added to her already impressive culinary repertoire. Her hundreds of original recipes—which span the worlds of traditional, modern and innovative cuisines—demonstrate an expert knowledge of spices, fruits, vegetables and natural ingredients found in open markets, food fairs and exotic shops around the world. One of her specialties is taking old recipes and putting a contemporary spin on them to create interesting and delicious dishes that would soar in any era.

Since 2009, Flores has written a culinary column for Gazeta Brazilian News; she’s recently been preparing a new column for Brazil Best. In 2012, she formed her own publishing company, registered in Florida, called “O Mundo Culinario.” Flores is in the process of writing her first book called the Culinary World of Bia Flores, which will be published in August 2012.