Manny Carvalho immigrated from his native Portugal to the U.S. 30 years ago with the aspiration of becoming a restaurateur.
“This restaurant was my American dream,” said Carvalho.
Carvalho made that dream came true when he opened his first restaurant called Bairrada in 1993, which was followed by Churrasqueira Bairrada, a local dining institution that he opened on 144 Jericho Turnpike in 1996.
On Saturday, June 9, he will make a second dream come true by hosting a celebration of Portugal National Day in the parking lot behind Bairrada featuring a performance by Quinn Barreiros, who will play traditional Portuguese music
Two music groups, Centerfalls from Massachusetts and a local band, Sugartown, will also perform at the day-long festival which runs from noon until 11 p.m and that Carvalho expects to draw more than 1,000 people.
The Mineola Portuguese Center folkloric dancers and musicians will also perform along with a traditional Portuguese dance group from Farmingdale.
“It’s for us to remember that day. We’re far from the country. But we are Portuguese,” Carvalho said.
Some of the funds from tickets for the event will go to the Mineola Athletic Association, the Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the Mineola Junior Fire Department and the Mineola Auxiliary Police Department, according to Carvalho.
“It will be a great day. Manny is someone who has always given back to the community,” said Village of Mineola Deputy Mayor Paul Pereira. “The reason is to celebrate Portuguese culture and to raise money for volunteer groups in Mineola. I think it’s a great combination, to honor his roots and to recognize the country that has given him so much.”
Portuguese National Day is celebrated annually in Portugal and among Portuguese people worldwide on June 10. The day commemorates the death of Portugal’s revered poet Luís Vaz de Camões, an literary icon of Portuguese nationalism, who died on that date in 1580. Camões wrote the an epic poem retelling the exploits of Portuguese explorers.
Tickets for the event behind Bairrada will be $15 with food and drinks served at additional cost in the outdoor venue.
Tickets can be purchased at Bairrada, Carvalho Imports or online at www.Portugueseevents.com.
Carvalho, 59, took his first steps toward his first dream while still a teenager in Portugal.
At age 13, he began working at a restaurant with the same name as the one he now owns in Malaposta, Portugal.
“I started there to peel potatoes,” he recalled.
A couple of years later, he advanced to grilling chickens in the kitchen and then worked at the restaurant’s service bar. He eventually became a waiter before migrating to the U.S. in 1984. On his second day in the U.S., he landed a job with a home improvement contractor, which became his primary occupation for the next four years. Carvalho bought his own landscaping business in 1988.
But as he settled in Mineola Carvalho took a part-time job working Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays at Arlindo’s on Mineola Boulevard, where Heart of Portugal now stands. Then in 1993, he made his move to become a full-time restaurateur, purchasing the first on Jericho Turnpike – a small restaurant located near the current one on Jericho Turnpike.
“I love it. I like to deal with people,” Carvalho said about the restaurant business. “I like to see people enjoy the food.”
The year after he opened the Churrasqueira Bairrada in its current location in Mineola, he opened locations in Smithtown and Medford as well. But soon after he decided he had overreached. He sold his interest in the Smithtown restaurant two years later and closed the Medford restaurant.
“I’d have no time to supervise everything,” Carvalho said.
Carvalho said is typically at Bairrada every day of the week, and he makes a point of stopping at each table to be certain that everything is in order.
“Any problem here, you have to resolve it right away,” Carvalho said. “To build a restaurant takes a lot of work. I put my heart in this business.”
Last year, he opened a retail outlet, Carvalho Imports, which sells the bread baked fresh at Bairrada, as well as sandwiches, food and other goods.
He also helped his son Roy, who had worked at Bairrada, open his own restaurant in Bellmore.
But beyond building his family’s profile in the restaurant business, Carvalho is recognized in the community for helping other people.
“He’s very generous. He’s contributed to a lot of organizations and he never says no to anybody,” said John DaVanzo, former Mineola deputy mayor.
He is a member of the County Seat Kiwanis, the Portuguese Lions Club and a lifetime member of the Mineola Portuguese Society.
“I love the community. I love to help people,” he said, adding, “I gain a lot. I gain more friends and the admiration of people.”
