- [Maria] Underwriting for "Maria's Portuguese Table" season two has been provided by Rhode Island PBS Foundation.

Rhode Island PBS, engaging viewers of all ages since 1967.

"Maria's Portuguese Table" is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Bay Coast Bank, providing services and financial solutions for the people and businesses of southern New England since 1851.

Underwriting for "Maria's Portuguese Table" season two has been provided by... (upbeat music) Today on "Maria's Portuguese Table," we go to a place known as the 10th Azorean island, Fall River, Massachusetts, home to many successful Portuguese-owned businesses, and I plan on visiting one.

I don't know, I did not sign up for this.

We also will get to spend time with internationally-known comedians and my dear friends, Derrick and Brian of the Portuguese Kids, where I get the inside scoop of what it's like growing up as a Portuguese kid from the source themselves, their mothers.

- He didn't have a lot of support from me starting.

- Yeah.

- Thank God he never listened to me.

(Maria laughs) - [Maria] Join us today for "Maria's Portuguese Table."

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (relaxing music) At the mouth of the Taunton River lies Fall River, and along its banks remnants of an era past remain in the form of textile mills.

Textile manufacturing was king during the 19th century, and these brick buildings were the siren song for many Portuguese immigrants who came here in search of work and a chance at the American dream.

Quickly, the Portuguese community in Fall River grew strong with many families coming in from the island of Sao Miguel.

So tight is this bond between Sao Miguel, that you will find a full-size replica of the gates to the city right here in Fall River.

The Portuguese have been able to thrive here in Fall River with Portuguese-owned businesses throughout the city.

One of these businesses is Michael's Provisions, where they make all sorts of sausage products.

And today, I get to learn the difference between chaurice and linguica.

(upbeat guitar music) - This is chaurice, this is homemade chaurice.

- Okay.

- And this is linguica.

I'm going explain everything about chaurice and linguica.

- Okay, make sure you're listening to this.

So, this is it.

- Chaurice is the same thing as linguica spices wise.

- Okay.

- Okay.

- The only thing is linguica's a little thinner and chaurice is a little thicker not fatty.

- Correct.

Correct, correct.

- This is made with beef casings.

- For the chaurice?

- For the chaurice.

- The linguica is hog casings.

- Hog.

You've got pig and you've got cow.

- Beef.

- Yeah.

- The only thing is in the linguica it doesn't show that much fat because it's thinner.

Now, a lotta people say that linguica taste is better.

I kinda agree with that because in the smokehouse it's thinner, - Yeah.

- it grabs the smoke better than the chaurice.

- So, there's the difference in the taste.

- Right.

- Now that I have a little more clarity on what makes chaurice different from linguica, I think it's best I learn how they're made.

To do that I get a VIP tour of the plant.

I'm actually looking forward to this.

This is really exciting.

This is where it all begins.

- This the meat that we use and it goes through here.

- Yeah.

- If you wanna walk with me over there I'll show you.

This is the raw product.

- Woo!

You make it look very easy.

And I know it's not easy.

- He's got the size more or less.

- Yeah, he already knows.

- Yes, yes.

- I told you I was gonna put you to work.

- Well, no, no.

Oh, God, no.

- I'll show you.

- You're gonna do that to me?

- Yes.

You know why?

- Why?

- Because you are a Portuguese lady like my mother is.

Like there and then the other one over there.

- And oh.

- Over here.

- Okay.

- Okay.

Now it's better.

One, two, three.

Okay?

- And that's it?

- Now you're on your own.

(Maria laughs) Yes, very good.

- I don't know.

I did not sign up for this.

I did not.

- You are doing perfect.

- I am, huh?

- I'll tell you what, I'll see you about five o'clock.

- I, no, no, no, no, no.

I need to give it back to the person who really knows what he's doing.

I bow down to you.

(upbeat music) Once the links are ready, they are placed on a large rack and head straight into the smokehouse.

Each rack holds about 800 pounds of product and they will spend over two hours in the smokehouse.

And two hours, not weeks.

- Two hours.

- As one rack goes in, another is ready to come out.

And we are just in time to see it.

And let me tell you, there is a lot of linguica and chaurice on one rack.

A thermometer is used to make sure that each link has been cooked at the right temperature.

- And now we gonna go to the cooler, which is the product that comes outta the smokehouse.

- Whoa.

Look how beautiful this is.

The racks are wheeled into the cooler where the linguica and chaurice will spend 24 hours before being packaged.

Now, I see the morcela.

I know not everybody, it's an acquired taste.

But fried, oh, it's so good.

After a 24-hour, cool-down period, Michael's products are ready to be packaged and sent out to market.

At this point, I know I am ready to stop looking at all these delicious chaurice and linguica and finally enjoy some.

- [Carlos] And now you're gonna tell me what's the difference on your taste?

- First I'm gonna do the linguica.

- Okay.

- That's the linguica.

- Delicious.

Oh my God, it's so good.

And then the chaurice.

- The chaurice.

- Oh, right.

- But you see the difference the linguica and the chaurice.

- See, I still think it tastes a little different.

- I think the linguica takes more smoke.

- Yeah, there is, yes, and that's the difference.

Just a different casing, more thickness, thinner, the smoking, it permeates this more.

- It's time in the smokehouse.

- One more.

I'm gonna have one more.

- All right.

- Mm.

- You like it?

- It's good.

- Is the pope Catholic?

Yes, of course I like it.

It's delicious.

There is a reason why Michael's has been around for as long as it has.

This family-run business has always put the quality of their product first.

It warms my heart to see a Portuguese American-run business thrive on an age old staple food that has been in our culture for generations.

(soft piano music) When the Portuguese migration to Fall River was at its height in the 1960s, many families clustered in an area in and around Columbia Street.

At one point, this was the epicenter of the Portuguese community.

Even today, there are many Portuguese-owned businesses here, still going strong.

Along this corridor, you'll find bakeries, markets, and cafes, and you don't have to go far to find a quick espresso to energize your afternoon.

Cheers.

It's also on Columbia Street that you will find Sagres, one of the oldest running, Portuguese-owned restaurants in the state of Massachusetts.

Tell me a little bit about Sagres.

- We've been here since basically 1976.

My father started the restaurant.

My parents are originally from the north of Portugal, Minho area.

Basically, he left his hometown to go to Lisbon.

And when he was like 17, started as a helper in a big hotel.

Became one of the top chefs in Portugal.

Of course, the revolution happened, so, this is the reason why he immigrated here.

Eventually, over the years, my brother became the head chef here.

- [Maria] Interesting.

- All right, Maria, I'm gonna show you to your table and try some of our great food.

- As soon as I am seated, there is already fresh bread and cheese on the table.

Today, there is no looking at menus, I am leaving it all up to the chef.

- [Manuel] Start with some extra virgin olive oil.

- Now this is the goat cheese.

- We've had the same lady making the goat cheese for 25 years.

- [Maria] Wow.

- Saute the shrimp with the garlic, olive oil.

Then just had a little hot sauce.

- This is if I was at home, this is how I would eat it.

That's delicious.

- It's really good.

- [Maria] So creamy.

- It's a very easy dish to do.

A little fresh parsley.

(upbeat music) (shrimp sizzles) - Ooh, I see it all.

- The shrimp.

- Okay.

Oh, perfect.

Oh my goodness.

- [Victor] Looks good, smells really good.

- Oh, that smells wonderful.

- [Victor] Yeah, smells really good.

- That's a nice sauce.

I'm gonna put it here.

I'm gonna try that.

- [Victor] The liquid is the white wine.

- Ooh, that's so good.

- Yeah, thank you.

There's also a shrimp similar to this that's very popular in the area, Shrimp Mozambique - Oh, the Mozambique.

But what everybody understands, or they think that Shrimp Mozambique is a Portuguese dish.

- It's not.

- But it's not.

This is what's a Portuguese shrimp.

And that's a simple, garlic with wine, the parsley on top.

- I'll join you.

- Thank you.

- [Victor] Of course, this is great with a little bit of bread in that sauce.

- And I'm taking a big piece of garlic in there.

(inspiring music) - Arroz de Tamboril, which is a monk fish with rice and also some shrimp on it.

- Oh my goodness.

And it's in this casserole.

So, it's monkfish and shrimp.

Look at how beautiful that is.

Smells wonderful.

Great, so I'm gonna try this.

I'm gonna try this monkfish with the rice.

(inspiring music) Delicious.

- Thank you very much.

- This monkfish is case in point as to the quality of the dishes coming out of Sagres' kitchen today and for the last 40 plus years.

There's a reason why you've been open for as long as you have.

Your food is amazing.

- Thank you.

(man speaks in a foreign language) - I think I'm gonna die.

Shut up and die.

- [Maria] Fall River is home to a very special and unique comedy troupe that has carved a name for themselves by good old-fashioned hard work and dedication and by being funny.

(man yells) - My eyebrow!

- I'm careca!

- You were careca before.

- Oh, yeah.

- And for over 15 years, the Portuguese Kids have been producing their own brand of comedy to audiences all over the world.

They have been friends of mine for years and today I'm going to meet them in their home base.

Hello?

- Maria, what are you doing here?

- Nice little visit.

- I wish we knew you were coming, I would've made (indistinct).

Okay, maybe not.

- Hi, (indistinct).

The last time I was with you guys it was the other, you were in another spot.

- We were in the dungeon.

- Another spot.

This is a bit an upgrade since the last time you've seen us.

- Yes.

- Office wise.

- Are you gonna show me around?

- You're in our creative space.

As you know we do the sketch comedy and all the videos.

This is where we create everything.

And we do a lot of sketches at the front- - This here is, believe it or not, sticker.

- Not real tile.

- No, it- - Sheetrock, folks.

- Movie magic.

These are the best lights that Amazon sells.

(Maria laughs) - This couch, - I know.

- that was gifted to us by the Azorean Green Bean.

- I did, I did.

Over the years the Portuguese Kids line-up has seen some changes.

But their current line-up of Brian, Vanessa, and Derrick, they continue to stay relevant and funny by touring with their live performances and weekly video releases on all social media platforms.

And you've been at it, it's not like, oh, I'm gonna try doing this, I'm gonna see how it goes.

- Right.

- It's been what, almost 20 years?

- Yep, it's gonna be 20 years.

- Almost 20 years.

Isn't that crazy?

Comedy is not the only thing the kids have their hands in.

The pandemic made them change the way they did business, and they developed their own online shopping portal.

- Brian and I definitely have always kind of had like this entrepreneurial spirit, right?

You kind of have to when you're a Portuguese comedy group, like, it's pretty niche, you know?

- Yeah.

- Very niche.

- You have to be creative and always kinda making money, you know.

So, that's why we pivoted with shop Portuguese.

- Shop Portuguese.

In the peak of the pandemic, their online businesses flourished for them.

Sales in perishable food items were being shipped to every state, as more people looked online to do their shopping.

- We went from comedians to chaurice salesman.

- Yeah.

- You know, hawking linguica on the internet.

And you know what?

We sell- - We're the Chaurice Brothers.

- Hey, the Chaurice Brothers, I like that.

- I like the Linguica Brothers a little bit better.

- Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

- This is where the group breaks up, right?

The brothers used to work together, now they opened up two businesses.

- One's chaurice, one's linguica.

What's the difference?

I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with the diversity of the products that they sell throughout their website, and how they run it all in-house.

This is all full of cheese?

Alheira, I love Alheira.

- Alheira.

- Ah!

- Ah!

- This is my favorite.

This is what I use when I make fresh cheese.

Oh, and I love this.

- 30 months.

- 30 months.

How did you get the 30 months?

Oh, oh, oh, oh.

You have pasteis nata.

And then they have the molds.

And look, the little molds.

You can make like, little appetizers.

- This is for you.

- Oh!

- That's the Alpha 24 that you like.

- Hey, you wanna buy a book?

Maria Lawton, the Azorean Green Bean.

(Maria laughs) - I hate to do this, but since you mentioned our friendship, we need a little bit of help.

- What do you mean?

- In the warehouse.

Maybe you could help Tyler.

- With some shipping today.

- A few boxes.

- You're making me work?

- We're gonna go work on a sketch and you can sit here and you're gonna box up some stuff.

You're gonna be- - I'm gonna be boxing up stuff - You're gonna be Tyler's girlfriend today.

- Tyler, are you gonna be nice?

- We'll see.

- I'm not sure how, but the next thing I know, I am roped into learning how to fulfill orders with Tyler, the shop manager.

- These are actually all located in that other room.

That's where all of our sweets are.

- All right.

Where the heck is the fruit chews?

Oh, wait, but I don't see that name.

Yeah, where?

- Right down here, hidden.

- Ah, that's not fair.

- Three of those.

- Three, okay.

So, we've got three and we've got six, okay.

- [Tyler] Bring it back to our packing station.

- [Maria] All right.

- [Tyler] Keep it nice and neat.

- I'm putting in the candies.

- Yep.

- I'm putting in this.

Can I write a little note?

Can I write a little note?

- If you'd like.

- Lotsa love, with a little heart.

There you go.

They're gonna say, "Who the heck is this Maria?"

(Maria laughs) - Maybe, maybe.

They might know who you are though.

- All right, okay.

- Yeah, and that's it.

This is a completed shipment.

You did one.

- I did one.

- One.

(playful music) - You know what?

And I remember this candy being little.

I think every little.

- Oh, yeah.

Everyone had the chocolate.

- Everyone had the little chocolate umbrella and you just loved it.

And yeah, it's really good.

- [Tyler] So, next step.

(Derrick coughs) - Yeah, oh.

(Maria laughs) - Maria?

- Yes.

- What the heck are you doing here?

I'm not paying two people.

Tyler, come on.

- I'm trying to help the kids.

- We're gonna watch you.

- Okay.

(Derrick speaks Portuguese) - We're gonna do a training montage of her getting ready.

♪ You're the best around ♪ - Okay, all right, kish.

- You're doing sit ups on the top of my shelves.

- Hurry up, the refrigerator's open already 30 seconds.

- [Maria] Oh my God.

- Pull ups over here, Maria.

- Oh my God.

I got it, okay.

- Take your time, but hurry up.

- I'm going as fast as I can.

- Hey, come on.

- You broke the machine.

- Oh my God.

- Oh, no.

- Oh, here it is.

- Go that side of that.

Oh my God.

Maria, hey?

Anytime you wanna work for me.

No problem.

- Oh, thank you guys.

- Minimum wage, but you got it.

- Anytime you wanna work for me?

No.

(Maria laughs) What's going on here?

- Maria's trying to steal a cheese.

Maria's trying to steal a cheese.

- It was great spending time with Brian and Derrick today.

And while I have been able to call them my friends, I wanted to get the real story behind the Portuguese Kids.

In order to do that, I decided to cook with their moms.

- The Portuguese kids, - Yeah.

- start here outside in my yard.

- Isn't that something.

- Yeah.

- They used to steal my camera because we had a video camera while we're asleep, right.

And go down to the basement and do all kinds of crazy things.

He didn't have a lot of support from me starting.

'Cause I thought I wanted him to go to college.

I wanted him to- - It was a different thing you had.

- Different thing, yeah.

And thank God he never listened to me.

My heart swells when somebody comes up to me and says, "Oh, when I'm having a bad day I watch a video.

They make me laugh, they always make me laugh."

I'm like, "Okay, so he's doing something good."

- [Maria] Today we are in Anna's kitchen.

And besides talking about Brian and Derrick, we're going to make a very special dish from Anna's home island of Santa Maria.

What is the name of the dish?

- Molhos de Santa Maria.

- Molhos, which is a bundle.

Right?

It's a bundle.

- Yes.

- So, we're making a bundle of amazing food.

Molhos is a pork dish and Anna marinates the pork loin overnight with white rice, scallions, chopped onions, salt, paprika, pepper paste, garlic powder, chopped pepper, a splash of vinegar, and white wine to round it out.

- No.

- No?

So, this is new to me.

- New to me.

I know, I'm excited I wanna taste it.

- Yeah.

The first step is to place the marinated pork into sheets of foil and into little piles.

The pleasant aroma of the marinade hits me and I can see why this is a staple in the Demelo household.

Now is this one of Derrick's favorites?

- Yeah, Derrick loves it.

- Is it really?

- He grew up with this because I always make recipes from my mom.

- It's from your mom.

- Mom, yes.

- Oh, look at that.

Once the meat is in the foil, I tie it with string to keep everything contained.

I'm even gonna make a bow.

Oh yeah, oh.

There you go.

- Your mother didn't make that with the aluminum foil?

- No.

- What would she use?

- The tripe.

- The tripe.

The stomach lining.

- Sew with this.

- They would sew it up.

- Looks like a bag, a little bag.

- Make a pouch, you would make a pouch.

- So, we're improvising here by using aluminum foil.

- Aluminum foil, yes.

- But the traditional dish they would stuff the stomach lining.

- The stomach lining, yeah.

(relaxing music) - I think I can handle this.

- [Maria] Yeah, I think you can too.

- I raised Brian.

It was a lot harder than this, trust me.

- That's it.

- That's enough, right?

- Yes.

- Okay, it's ready.

- With our Molhos wrapped in foil, it's time to load them into the pressure cooker filled with hot water.

- Yes.

- Okay.

- Amen.

- And that's it?

Now that the meat is in the pressure cooker it needs about 45 minutes to cook.

That is just enough time to have a glass of wine or two and get the back story of Brian and Derrick.

Let's do some wine.

- Derrick, before Portuguese Kids, he used to work in Radio Shack, Bank of America, one day he came home with a picture, the best employee of the month.

I'm so happy, I said, "Oh my God.

Keep this job for yourself."

Months after he came home and he said, "I'm gonna quit my job and do Portuguese Kids."

I say, "Oh my God, how are you gonna survive?

You have a car to pay, insurance, and everything.'

- Yeah we had the same reaction at my house.

My husband was very upset.

- I adopt whatever he does.

- Yeah.

- And I'm here to help him.

- Yeah.

- And I'm happy.

He's happy.

I'm happy for him.

- Well, ladies, I think we need to drink more wine.

We still have a little bit more to go.

Yeah, ching-ching.

- Ching-ching.

- The pressure cooker whistle grows louder, indicating that it's time to take it off the stove.

We make sure to run the cooker under cold water before we remove the Molhos.

Oh, and there it is.

- [Idalina] The perfect little bundle.

Look at that.

- We unwrap these foiled bundles of goodness.

And an even stronger wave of aroma hits us.

- Smell's good delicious.

- It smells wonderful.

- So, the meat it's tender.

- Oh, wow, look at that.

Oh, this is beautiful, Anna.

I think we've got enough.

Another staple in Santa Maria is the sweet potato.

Anna has them boiling on the side and is ready to add them to our plate.

The smell is just incredible.

It's the sweet potato smell.

It's the paprika, the onions.

- You smell everything.

- The wine, you can smell- - That's okay for now?

- Beautiful.

- Oh, yes, that is beautiful, honey.

Oh, that one already has one.

With the meal ready, I have the distinct pleasure to sit down with Brian, Derrick, and their mothers.

- Whoa, just in time!

(Derrick whistles) Maria.

- I heard it's your favorite.

- It is my favorite.

This is, as you can see, you know, I grew up on this stuff.

Did you help make this?

- I helped make it.

We both learned.

- Then it must be wonderful.

- Well, no, it's wonderful 'cause your mom taught us how to make this.

'Cause this is the first time for me.

- Let's eat.

I'll show you how to eat it, Maria.

- You're working hard today, Maria.

- I, you know, I'm doing- - Doing packages.

- Doing packages.

- Come on guys.

- You want me to sit here?

- Yes, you sit here.

- [Derrick] You're the guest of honor come up.

- Okay, you sure?

- Sit on the kid's side.

- Added to the table was Idalina's dish of fried taro root and baked chaurice, a flavorful addition to our plates.

This is the first time I've had anything that was a specialty of Santa Maria.

- Wow.

- It really is.

- And me too.

My first time.

- This smells so good.

- So, you grew up eating this?

- I did.

You know, we did have these little pockets of Santa Maria, you know, and obviously when my mom cooked these specific meals, it definitely reminds me of the old country a little bit more, you know?

- Right.

The meat is so tender.

Oh, that's delicious.

Everybody's quiet, so you know it's good.

We're all eating.

- Wow.

- This is what it's all about, sharing food, laughter and stories.

The bounty in front of us is just a conduit to the family connection that is made when we share a meal together.

So we were talking about you before you got here.

- Oh, boy.

- Yeah.

We were talking about how you've met, being downstairs making videos, you know.

- Now, living upstairs making videos.

- But I mean, the support from your family is key.

- 100%.

Brian and I would never be able to do this without our parents supporting.

Even when they didn't support, they were like, "Whatever, I don't think it's gonna be good, but go ahead."

And there's a lot of pressure for our first generation immigrants, which is so much of what our comedy is about is because any first generation son or daughter feels immense pressure to be successful, to make that sacrifice worth it for the parents.

So, there's all this added weight on top of us.

So, to go out and start your own business with that over our heads was very difficult, you know.

- And my dad would constantly say that.

"I came here not for me, I came here for you and my grandchildren."

That's it.

- And we're thankful for it, thankful for it.

- Absolutely.

- Gave us this opportunity to do what we're doing, you know?

- Absolutely.

- And look where we are right now.

- Hey, we're standing on their shoulders.

- Huh, ma?

- Yes, my dear.

- All those times telling us to get a life.

Get a life.

- That was my line.

- That was your line.

- Get a life.

Still telling him to get a life.

- But in a different way.

- A different way.

- A different way, yes.

I have been friends with Brian and Derrick for a long time, but I learned something new about them today.

I learned where their inspiration for their comedy comes from, and it's right here in this house.

- Thanks, Mom.

- Any time, any time.

- Thank you.

Thank you, thank you.

- Here's to that.

- You have nothing in there.

- Well, he's been five plates deep and ran out of drink.

- I'm my mother's son.

(Maria and Brian chuckle) - [Derrick] Help us.

- Fall River is a proud Portuguese community, rich in history and traditions with solid foundations.

But it is also a place looking to the future and embracing change.

I hold Fall River and the people here, near and dear to my heart, and I look forward to my next visit here.

Fall River, you've been amazing.

(upbeat music) Underwriting for "Maria's Portuguese Table" season two has been provided by Rhode Island PBS Foundation.

Rhode Island PBS, engaging viewers of all ages since 1967.

"Maria's Portuguese Table" is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Bay Coast Bank, providing services and financial solutions for the people and businesses of southern New England Since 1851.

Underwriting for "Maria's Portuguese Table" season two has been provided by... (playful music) (soft guitar music)