It was when she was 25 that this young jurist, who was working as a producer of shows felt the need to do something else. There was a “click”, an irrepressible desire to give a new meaning to her life. For her, there was no doubt. It was in the kitchen that she was going to fi nd her salvation. And as we said, Walgra, who follows only her intuition, dropped everything and left for France in order to equip herself : logical, isn’t it? “Of course” she answers “ only in France can one fi nd such a complete palette of courses : sensorial analysis, colors, F&B… Everything is here !” Troubling… Given her determination, it wasn’t long before she found and chose the Institute because, as she says, “It has by far the most global program”.

A native of Salvador in Brazil, she immediately felt at ease at the chateau. “In France, it is not easy for foreigners, but at IPB there is a sense of hospitality and an outward view towards everything which is international that puts us at ease immediately. Let’s just add that Walgra speaks English, French and Italian (in addition to Brazilian) and we can wonder which of the two is more international! She had her fi rst internship at the Ritz, in Paris, with young chefs “who do wonders by mixing traditions with modernity”. Her second experience was in Italy where she worked side by side with chef Massimiliano at the “Calandre”, “certainly one of today’s greatest chefs in Italy!”

In short, her encounters and experiences inspire her. Without loosing any time, she obtained her degree in culinary arts and returned to Brazil to develop her ideas. She began by creating “WM Consultoria Gastronomica“, an activity that consists in consulting for grand openings. He services include all of the preparation work, composing fi xed price menus and menus, and training the staff… This fi rst adventure led her all the way to Africa where she accompanied the grand opening for two restaurants which are developing the concept of Brazilian BBQ. To add a little spice to her activities, she returned to her fi rst love and offered catering (service and catering) for events and grand openings. And that gave her an idea… In 2006, she created “Pato com banana“, a structure for event planning, serving from 100 to 4000 people. Walgra sees everything “big”. After only one year, her company employs 6 full time employees, and many more during important occasions. “It is working well” she tells us, but don’t believe that this stops her from having new projects.

Using as a model the class on aesthetics and colors that she attended at the Institute, Walgra is currently preparing a course that she plans to give during 10 gastronomic festivals that are taking place in Brazil. And when we ask her if she still can fi nd the time to live, she says that she still does her daily jogging. That is where we give up… the bottom line? The Institut Paul Bocuse’s demands and the high level of qualification
are well recognized abroad, you need to take risks and follow your instinct, that’s all…”