Helena — also known as Leca — is a communicative and open-minded person who values sharing different opinions and experiences with others, as she believes that we can only evolve when we are willing to see beyond our own perspectives.
Along with her academic studies she dedicated 14 years to classical ballet, teaching her from a very young age to have a lot of discipline, determination and focus in everything she sets out to do.
Born and raised in São Paulo, her desire to learn about different cultures, their beliefs and their food led her to live abroad since 2019, living in cities such as Barcelona, Milan (where she had her first contact with the fascinating F&B industry) and Madrid - where she currently lives.
After quitting ballet, writing has always helped her express herself in a unique way and that's why she's lately been focusing her studies in this field, in order to combine her two passions in the F&B industry: design and writing.
EDUCATION
· Professional course in Communication and Gastronomic Journalism, at Food Genius Academy, Milan, Italy (2023-2024);
· 10-weeks course in Food Writing for Publication, at Le Cordon Bleu Australia - remote (2023);
· Master’s degree in Food Design and Innovation, at Scuola Politecnica di Design, Milan, Italy (2019-2020);
· Post graduation degree in Innovation and Design Thinking, at Elisava, Barcelona, Spain (2019);
· Bachelor’s degree in Design with qualification in Visual Communication and emphasis in Marketing, at Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing, Sao Paulo, Brazil (2015-2018).
EXPERIENCE
· Freelancer F&B communicator (currently);
· May 2024-November 2024: editorial secretary assistant at ItaliaSquisita, Milan, Italy;
· March 2022-September 2023: PR & communications at Tan Tan bar, São Paulo, Brazil;
· May-December 2021: commis waitress at Turbo cocktail bar, Milan, Italy;
· March-May 2021: web designer at SiciliaMia;
· September-December 2020: visual designer at Farm65 - Culinary Hub, Milan, Italy;
· August 2017-May 2018: intern visual designer at Trip Editora e Propaganda, São Paulo, Brazil.