After building a devoted following with her Afro-Brazilian pop-up in Seattle, Chef Emme Collins is making her concept permanent.
Baiana is set to open at the iconic Pike Place Market in March.
She drew inspiration for Baiana after the closure of her parents’ restaurant, Tempero do Brazil, which served authentic flavors for two decades. She aimed to carry those traditions forward.
“I started the pop-up in 2023, coming out of my family’s restaurant closing. Just having that bug to cook our food again and serve the community, I decided to start Baiana. I wanted to focus on food from Northeastern Brazil, and more specifically the state of Bahia, which is where I am from,” Chef Collins told What Now Seattle.
Chef Collins hosted pop-ups in Capitol Hill, traveled to Portland and Dallas, and completed a residency with Ohsun, where her dishes were available once a week last summer. The experiences fueled her creativity.
“We were there [Ohsun] serving up Bahian food. The bug just kind of got bigger. When we ended people were really, really sad. They were asking, ‘Can you come to the East Side?’ I started looking for locations, but wasn’t seeing anything,” Chef Collins said.
She continued, “I then looked at the Pike Place site to see if they had any available slots. I saw a few and was like, ‘Long shot!’ I filled out the submission form with no expectations because I know how competitive it is. The property manager was like, ‘Oh my God! I heard about your pop-up. I definitely want you to come and see the space.’”
The chef saw this as her opportunity to open Baiana permanently.
“It just feels like the right time–it’s been a journey, but timing is everything,” she said.
Baiana plans to continue serving pop-up favorites such as moqueca, a seafood stew; feijoada, a black bean and meat stew; acarajé, fried black-eyed pea fritters; and coxinha, shredded chicken croquettes, along with a few new dishes.
“We added a caruru plate, which is a braised okra dish, and abará, which is kind of the sister to an acarajé. It’s the same dough but steamed in banana leaves,” she said.
The eatery will follow a fast-casual style, and its stall at the market will stand out with bright pink and orange accents and lush greenery.
“When I think of Bahai, I think bright colors. Baiana actually means a woman from Brazil. It’s also the name of street vendors that sell the acarajé and abará. So, it’s very feminine energy,” Chef Collins said.
She looks forward to serving her dishes to both familiar faces and first-time guests.
“I think it’s really cool that I’m bringing the ultimate Brazilian street food to Seattle in a market setting. There’s no better place,” Chef Collins said. “I think people don’t really know too much about Brazilian food, so to really start showing the complexity, the diversity, and the layers of Brazil is what I’m excited about.”
Catch Baiana’s official debut by following along on Instagram. Stay tuned!
