Via Brasil meat runner has roots in dining tradition

Tableside meat carving is a long-held tradition for some people, but there's more behind its origin than one might imagine.

Summerlin-area resident Elvis Volpatto is a meat runner at Via Brasil Steakhouse, 1225 S. Fort Apache Road, bringing meat on the spear to one's table and slicing it to order. His background makes him uniquely qualified for the position.

Volpatto hails from Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil and the birthplace of Brazilian barbecue, or churrasco, the type of cuisine in which Via Brasil specializes. In Brazil, his late grandfather, Mauricio Volpatto, had a farm with roughly 1,000 beef cattle and 400 sheep. The farm also had chickens and pigs. Mauricio was a gaucho or a Brazilian cowboy. He wore the traditional bombachas (the baggy pants worn by gauchos) and carried a 10-inch silver knife — a necessity when caring for livestock.

Each summer, up into his teens, Elvis, now 30, lived on the farm, doing chores such as feeding the animals, collecting eggs and rounding up cattle on his favorite horse, named Tubiana.

He said his favorite memory was when his whole family participated in rounding up the bulls. He tried his hand at throwing the lasso at a mock vaca parada (standing cow) before attempting to rope a live animal.

"My grandfather was much better at it," he said through Vinnie Moriggi, a co-worker at Via Brasil who speaks Portuguese. "He was the one who knew how to do it."

As far back as Elvis can remember, he said his family would prepare churrasco every weekend from animals they had slaughtered. The meat was loaded onto the spit and seasoned with pepper, salt, oregano and bay leaves, then roasted over an open fire in traditional churrasco style. The cowboys sustained themselves by nibbling on the meat.

"They would cut off little slices of it and eat it," Elvis said. "They would do it all day as they worked."

At the end of the day, there was dancing to guitar and accordion music with the extended family. He said as many as 30 people gathered for a feast. The older women wore traditional long, white dresses festooned with colorful accents.

The time Elvis spent with his grandfather on the farm allowed him to absorb stories of his family's traditions, he said. His grandfather died in 2006.

"I miss sharing (the meal) with friends and family," Elvis said. "When I (eat churrasco), it feels like I'm back in Brazil."

Now, Elvis brings that experience to Via Brasil every time he cuts meat for patrons.

There are differences, of course. The gauchos would slice off a piece of meat with their handy knife and eat with their hands. Via Brasil uses restaurant-quality knives and serves the meat with tongs. The Brazilian cowboys would sample the meat all throughout the day, a grazing approach to eating. Here, there are 21 types of meat from which to choose, brought tableside and sliced for one's dinner.

The restaurant is run by husband-and-wife owners Adam and Anna Gomes. Adam worked at his father's eatery, the famous Churrascaria Plataforma in New York, before coming to Las Vegas to open his own restaurant.

Anna manages Via Brasil and said her patrons benefited from having Volpatto as their meat carver.

"It's amazing, his story," she said. "I wish we had more people here (from Brazil). I love it, his background, where he comes from."

Visit viabrasilsteakhouse.com or call 702-804-1400.

— To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.