dimes co-founder sabrina de sousa on essential cookware, finding community in new york city restaurants, and '80s junk food
reality bites with sabrina de sousa
Designer and entrepreneur Sabrina De Sousa has long believed in the “ingredient kitchen” — that is, the beauty of a diet of whole and fresh foods that nourish the soul and the stomach. This ethos stems from her childhood in New Jersey and upbringing on hearty Brazilian comfort food, but it’s also served as the inspiration behind Dimes Restaurant, Market & Deli — a downtown staple for New Yorkers. We spoke to Sabrina about how Dimes has changed in the last decade, working in restaurants since she was a teenager, and the meal she shared with Indigenous chefs from across the Americas that she’ll never forget.
Read our reality bites interview with Sabrina here — paid subscribers can also scroll down for more from Sabrina, including her essential cookware recs and her favorite bakeries.
“I was born in New Jersey to parents who moved here from Brazil. When my parents first arrived in the U.S., their community was very small, so coming together to support one another became essential. Every weekend, someone was always cooking for a large group, and naturally, food was always the heart of those gatherings.
When I was young, I spent most summers in Brazil, and while I was there I developed a deep connection with ingredients. I was enchanted by the fruits I got to eat — fruits I’d never seen in the States. It felt like I was living these parallel lives, bridging two cultures.”
discover our member benefits
passerby club paid subscribers receive exclusive discounts from over 20 partners
Lata offers premium tinned seafood from Spain delivered to your door. Paid subscribers get 10% off their subscriptions and boxes.
discover more interviews
more from our interview with sabrina de sousa:
on her essential cookware recs