The name Sanjão come from a countryside way to pronounce São João (Saint John).
The inspiration for the creation of this house comes from the couple, Emerson and Stella. She is an administrator, entrepreneur in the tourism business, he is a rural producer and athlete, ultra-marathoner of mountain running. Almost all the work is done by bothtogether from planning to operation.
A STORY OF SO MUCH LOVE!
Emerson (video) is the strong arm behind almost all the renovation and construction of the space, from wattle and daub to furniture. It is also the sensitive soul that directs the choice of decoration, the repertoire of ambient music (blues, jazz and chorinho) and the preparation of natural juices and caipirinhas, freshly prepared with Brazilian ingredients and flavors. In addition to being the owner of the spontaneous smile of an innate host, who welcomes our customers.
The restaurant opened its doors in January 2019 in Vale das Videiras, in Petrópolis, a mountain region in the state of RJ. In October 2018, Emerson and Stella leased land outside the local shopping center with the aim of building the restaurant there. A wide area, by the side of the road, like pasture, with the Fagundes river flowing in the back, a ruin and nothing more. There they rebuilt the old existing building. Almost all the work was done by them, with their own hands, including the wood stove, the wattle and daub walls and most of the furniture. Without capital, without equipment, but equipped with complicity and determination to carry out the project, they worked hard and managed to build Sanjão.
In addition to the recognition of the clientele that soon formed, andn August 2021 the restaurant is awarded o Travellers' Choice, award given by the world largest travel site, o TripAdvisor, only 10% of the restaurants in the world.
In November 2021, however, a setback nearly ended the journey of the small family business. The property lease has ended and, without the possibility of renewal, Sanjão is forced to vacate the space, built from scratch with enormous effort.
sMoving on with their lives, in February 2022, the couple found a charming old settler's house on the main road in the neighborhood of Vera Cruz, a rural district in the municipality of Miguel Pereira, also in the state of RJ. And off the two of them go, with a lot of work ahead and a lot of love, for their new venture: reopening Sanjão. The financial resources that the couple had to carry out the work and to support themselves during this period were very limited and soon ran out. They then, once again, got their hands dirty and, thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign, it was possible to raise money, material and even labor to complete the work. And on July 16, 2022, Sanjão reopens in Miguel Pereira, with the same characteristics: a place for the whole family: simple, cozy, surrounded by nature.
Sanjão is located in front of the Santana River, between Largo da Piedade andPaul de Frontin Viaduct, in Miguel Pereira, within theregiontourist of Coffee Valley. The neighborhood, Vera Cruz, concentrates several waterfalls and also the beautiful Santa Cecilia Farm, a historic property of the Café Cycle, which is open to visitors.