“We are very fortunate that the people here really embraced us and supported us since day one.” – Douglas Linhares
Douglas and David Linhares grew up in the tropical, agricultural state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The young brothers came of age surrounded by family among the rolling, green hills, rich Colonial history and the vibrant family-and-food-centric culture of Latin America.
In the winter of 2000, Douglas, at 16 and David, at 9, joined their parents in Miami. Mom and dad worked in the seasonal hospitality industry, ping-ponging between summers in the Catskills and winters in Southern Florida. That spring, however the Linhares decided to settle in one place. They wanted the boys to grow up in a safe, welcoming environment – a place with a strong school system that was family-oriented and offered opportunities to small businesses. And as they made their way north, at the suggestion of a friend, they stopped to check out Scranton. The rest, I guess, is history.
The boys excelled in the Scranton School District, made lots of friends and eventually attended local colleges. Meanwhile, their parents had taken over a struggling local restaurant. They named it Ipanema Grille, and set out to introduce Scranton to the culture and the rich, culinary diversity of Southern Brazil. And it was at this quaint restaurant on North Main Ave. where the boys discovered their passion for hospitality, for making people smile and for connecting with their community. Today, while mom and dad are still expertly manning the grills, Douglas and David can be found managing day-to-day operations. And they wouldn’t want it any other way. Even though, Douglas admits, he will never get used to NEPA winters.
We caught up with Douglas and David at the stunning and newly-renovated Ipanema Grille. And while they dished poetically about their roots, their family and their undying love for Scranton, we were able to slip in a few questions like Why NEPA.
How long have you lived in NEPA?
David: Twenty-five years. Both of us and our family, we’ve been here for twenty-five wonderful years.
What do you love about your town?
David: I stepped away for about two and a half years when I was working out in Dallas, Texas. And I loved Dallas. It’s a beautiful city and, man, there’s a lot to do there, but the feeling I always got there was that it’s very commercial. Lots of industry, lots of opportunity, but from my perspective, I love the small town feel of Scranton. If you know The Office, there’s that saying, “Things move a little bit slower in Scranton, Pennsylvania. And that’s the way we like it.” And that’s what I missed while I was in Dallas. I missed just going into a mom-n-pop shop where I know I’m going to get good food and that comforting atmosphere and friendly people… That’s what I really missed – the warmth of the people here.
Douglas: I have to go with that as well – that family-oriented quality of life that you can still find here. You know, growing along with your kids. You can live comfortably. Yeah. I think he said it all.
What’s your favorite NEPA restaurant?
David: I need a second with that one. I don’t know if I can give you one restaurant. Ok, let me just go with this. We have such a phenomenal number of restaurants in this little area, and, honestly, I think this is a perfect time to shine a spotlight on it. This area is called Providence Square. You have Ipanema Grille. You have Samario’s. You have Casa Bella and Barletta’s. We got Market Street Bar & Grill and Stirna’s. These are the heavy hitters of Scranton. We love all these places. That would be my answer, man. All these places right here – we like to call them our neighbors. These are the places we love and frequent quite a bit.
Douglas: Again, I’m going to go with all the same places as Dave. They’re all great and good friends.
What’s your favorite thing to do in NEPA?
David: Food. That’s it. that’s my answer. It’s food. When I lived out in Dallas, again, it’s a big city and they seem to have everything, but they don’t have what we have here. Whether it’s the pub food, whether it’s the wings and the hoagies and the pizza, or even our unique style of pizza too with the square trays, I think we have some of the best Italian restaurants in the area and, honestly, maybe in the U.S. We have some heavy hitters here that do really phenomenal Italian food. You want the things you miss the most when you’re away and, for me, that was food.
Douglas: I have a house right on the river in Falls, and usually when I’m not around the restaurant, I’m there fishing with my kids. I have a nephew who comes up from Florida to spend the whole summer with us. I take them all out fishing and kayaking. We just make the most of being outside. Again, I’m not a cold weather guy. I don’t like the cold at all, but when summer comes, we spend a lot of time on the river.
What’s next for you?
David: Last year, our time was spent primarily on the renovation. And this was, trust me, a dream eighteen years in the making – to build what you see here today. We are so proud of the end product. It’s so fun to work here. I mean, I have my day job, but every waking moment, I spend thinking about the restaurant. Because, again, if you knew the struggle and the effort and the family relationship and how much this means for my family, my brother and our mom and dad – what’s next for me, I just can’t wait for Ipanema to continue to succeed. It’s so rewarding to have gone through what we went through, and then to have the opportunity to do this whole renovation and this redesign project and to put together a beautiful, new concept, even though the cuisine is still the same, we essentially refreshed our entire concept. Doug and I practically designed the whole thing together. And, number one, I am so proud of him, proud of my parents for putting in so much work for the last eighteen years and now here we are ready to build this place up and cement ourselves in Scranton and NEPA. Doug has little ones now, and it would make me so proud as an uncle to hear them say one day, “Yeah, that’s my family’s restaurant.”
Douglas: It’s the same for me too, man. Keep building this empire and make sure my kids are proud of it. And that they can enjoy it more than we did growing up as far as it not being as stressful and not being so tight as far as the budget is concerned. We’re just going to focus on building it up, so when we can pass it on, they can just step in and manage it all.
Where do you see NEPA heading in the future?
David: There’s great potential here. There are developers investing in the city and it’s so encouraging to see that. Whether it’s new apartment complexes or new restaurants, everybody loves to see that. Look at what you guys are doing at DiscoverNEPA – shining a spotlight on all the businesses and the beautiful things in the area. I think it’s great. And I think the future is bright for Scranton.
Douglas: I think there’s a lot of great new things coming in and opening up every day and if the people can keep their minds open, I think in terms of the future and the financial success of Scranton, they’ll do really well. That’s important, you know. As long as we can keep an open mind for new concepts and new businesses and keep reinvesting in our community, I think Scranton will continue to do really well.
Why NEPA?
David: I guess, for us, if we dissect it from a business perspective, there’s nobody else. No one is doing authentic Brazilian food in the area. I don’t know if we were the first one, we were definitely one of the first, but we are the ones who lasted. And if you go back a few decades, there weren’t even that many Latin restaurants. You know, like Mexican or Peruvian, you could probably count them on one hand. So, from a market standpoint, we kind of lucked out. And, of course, we found a formula that worked in the way that we trust each other’s unique skill sets. I’m talking about Doug, probably being one of the best front-of-house managers in the area. There’s not a better people person like my brother. Anybody you talk to, if they’ve been to Ipanema, they know Doug and they’re going to have great things to say about him and that makes me very proud. And shoutout to my mom and dad. My mom is probably one of the top chefs for Brazilian cuisine in the area. And she learned by doing. She didn’t have formal training. Same goes for my dad. I mean the old man can still sling a steak like no other. When it comes to meats, he’s a pro. And what I bring to the table is, I guess, the forward thinking. I’m always looking ahead. And that formula along with the passion we all have for this is what helped us succeed. So, yeah, there was a great market here. We were kind of in the right place at the right time, and, from there, just all the blood, sweat and tears to make it all work.
Douglas: Why go anywhere else, when we have the best customers around? When I come in and see we have a full house… man, that makes me so happy. Even when you’re having a bad day and you see that and you see all our customers, it changes everything. It makes it all worth it – everything we put into this place, all the work, all the time, the formula is working. I wouldn’t ever want to change one thing.
Featured image (top): David Linhares (left) and Douglas Linhares (right) pose in the newly renovated dining room at Ipanema grille in Scranton, PA.