Petiscos is the middle name of Ana Novais, who would be far from imagining that this would become a personal nickname, when, more than a decade ago, she created the Petiscos e Miminhos brand.
For us, it is Pesticos, or Pestisquini, friend and companion, in whom we recognize an entrepreneurial spirit, courage, curiosity and the frontality that we so appreciate.
We do not know for sure when and how we met Ana Novais, but her relationship with CRU dates back to her first day, having been responsible for the inauguration catering, in February 2012. Since then, until 2016, she has been our partner in events, in which she presented her snacks, also passing by being one of the residents of our cowork.
The training in Scenography was certainly a precious ingredient for the care and aesthetics with which he always presented his snacks in caterings that he prepared for hundreds of people daily, whether in private celebrations or public conferences.
Still, he had time to dedicate himself to a postgraduate degree in Hotel Management at ESEIG in 2013, lived in Milan while learning the secrets of pastry and finally completed a specialization in Digital Marketing at EDIT in 2019.
Photography was constantly present in its path, becoming increasingly prominent on its social networks. Thus, naturally and gradually, she was invited as a Food Stylist for several publications of culinary recipes, which took her to Munich, and to establish herself as a freelancer in the production of digital content in this same area, for several national and international companies.
Ana likes dogs, beautiful floors, cafeterias and remains in love with the city Invicta, even though she currently lives in the capital.
Your beautiful Instagram account will confirm our affirmations!
And if your mouth wateres, some of the recipes published there can be found here.
How did you becomeFood Stylist and content creator?
It all happened a little bit by chance. I have a background in cooking and set design, I am passionate about the two areas and this was the way to bring the two together. I started with a playful blog, which led to professional proposals and almost without realizing I was working as a food stylist and content creator full time!
Concentration vs procrastination… what is your recipe for productivity?
Probably one cannot exist without the other. I believe that no one can concentrate on a single hour-long task. In my case, when I realize that the level of productivity / concentration is going down I prefer to stop and change to another activity, and return to the first one with a fresh and rested look. My motto is Work Smart.
Reveal to us what you usually have on top of your work desk, on a perfectly normal day.
Tea … I always have a teapot next to me (right now I’m in a mint tea phase).
What books have influenced you the most in your professional life?
In my case I am more influenced by images than by words, although I read about gastronomy, food culture, food design and the like, my biggest influence is audiovisual: photography and video. Despite working with food, I research images in different areas such as fashion, architecture, plastic arts, among others.
What are your preferred communication channels that you use to make your work known?
At the moment the main thing is Instagram, it is the most immediate and accessible way to reach people and create a small community. However, it requires immense work and dedication, it is necessary to create a constant presence, create appealing content and interact with other communities. I also have a website-style online portfolio, for those who want to know my work outside the content published on social networks.
What principles govern you when you price your work or negotiate with a client?
Finding a fair value for me and the client is one of the biggest challenges, I think that all freelancers live in this agony. The best method for me is to be transparent with the client, explain the hours of work that a project requires and the necessary resources. In this way it becomes easier to negotiate and reach an agreement that is beneficial to both parties.
Tell us what was your first crisis as an entrepreneur.
I’ve been through some crises, it’s part of the process. I can’t tell which one was the first, since there are already a few… but there is a traditional saying that fits like a glove in those less good moments: “there is no harm that always lasts, nor that it doesn’t end”, it’s best to breathe understand what is going wrong and try to find a solution.
What’s next for you next turn?
In these exotic times we are living in, I am really trying to live one day at a time, which seems easier than it really is! I would like to develop a project in the area of Food Design, lately I have been doing a lot of research in this area.
What apps / software make you a superwoman?
The app that I use most (professionally but personally) is google maps, for me one of the best inventions ever, since before I spent my life losing myself and consequently arriving late for work. I use Pinterest a lot to search for images, inspiration and to build moodboards. Lastly vsco for when you need to edit photos quickly
What were the biggest lessons you learned in these years as an entrepreneur and freelancer?
The most important but also the least sexy is learning to manage money, something that was not very intuitive for me. Another important lesson is to learn to value my time, time is the most precious asset that we have and in the past I did not value the time needed to carry out a project and the impact that this would have on my free time.
