Dinner at Fogo de Chão arrives with a bit of theater.
A gaucho chef approaches carrying a skewer of fire-roasted beef, its edges deliciously caramelized from the grill.
Perhaps it is Picanha, the celebrated Brazilian Prime Top Sirloin recognizable by its distinctive fat cap and curved shape. He announces it first in Portuguese, offers the English translation, then carves it tableside.
Another gaucho follows, this time with Fraldinha, a Bottom Sirloin cut from Southern Brazil. Then a third, perhaps with a perfect tenderloin. Soon, dinner has become a conversation: What was that cut? Which was your favorite? Have you tried this one?
That sense of discovery is at the heart of Fogo de Chão in Troy – the only Fogo in Michigan – and it begins with a tradition born thousands of miles away.
Fogo traces its roots to southern Brazil, where the culture of the gauchos gave rise to churrasco: meats butchered with care and roasted over an open flame. Fogo de Chão grew from those traditions into an international restaurant experience, but the rituals remain remarkably intact.
General Manager Saif “Safe” Jamal understands the craft from the inside out.
Saif joined Fogo in 2018, starting in the kitchen and learning the restaurant from the butcher block forward. He moved into guest service, studied the front of the house and moved into management. He soon became one of only three members of the Troy team to earn the distinction of Master Gaucho – a recognition requiring mastery of the cuts, butchery, preparation, carving, service and hospitality that define Fogo.
For Saif, the food and hospitality are inseparable.
“We’ll show you the Fogo way of taking care of you,” he says.
That means asking about preferred temperatures, introducing unfamiliar cuts and remembering what you particularly enjoyed.
And there is plenty to discover.
Picanha may be the signature, but the experience moves through an array of beef, lamb, pork and chicken. Explore the Market Table, with seasonal soups, vegetables, salads and unexpected fruits alongside selections for vegetarian, vegan and other dietary preferences. And, of course, Fogo’s most celebrated appetizer: Black Pepper Candied Bacon, flavored with brown sugar, red pepper flakes and just enough heat behind the sweetness.
If Jamal embodies the craft behind Fogo, Event Sales Manager Michelle Choice is its spirit.
Once described by a company executive as “the heart of Fogo,” Michelle brings an irrepressible joy and passion for discovery that makes the experience special.
Her appreciation for hospitality began long before Fogo. Raised in Michigan, she initially studied journalism before a college internship at Disney changed her trajectory. There, she discovered the power of hospitality – how seemingly small gestures can transform someone’s experience.
She earned a degree in hotel and restaurant management from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, studied wine and food pairing in Spain and built a career in Detroit hospitality and events.
At Fogo, all of those experiences converged.
“You can taste the love in a dish made from scratch,” Michelle says. "The gaucho represents a beautiful marriage of chef and butcher, one who then has the opportunity to serve it to guests at the table."
Michelle brings the same philosophy to celebrations and special events, where her first question isn't about menus or party size. It’s, Why are you gathering?
Perhaps it's 30 guests for an intimate wedding dinner, a family's milestone birthday or executives planning a private lunch. Fogo can even take the experience off-site, with carving stations or gauchos to grill and serve at company headquarters or beneath a tent in a client's backyard.
Michelle begins with the occasion and builds from there.
“How can I help build the vision of what you’re looking for?” she asks.
As autumn gives way to the holiday season, the question of why we gather takes on particular meaning.
Michelle sees Fogo as a modern gathering place, a table around which families celebrate, colleagues toast accomplishments and friends reconnect.
Her work throughout Troy has extended that philosophy into the community through local organizations, charitable efforts and traditions such as Fogo’s Brunch with Santa, which she helped shape into a Troy experience families return for, year after year.
In an age when dinner can be hurried and celebrations overscheduled, perhaps that is Fogo's most luxurious offering.
Time to linger. To try something unfamiliar. To talk across the table. To be cared for by people who understand that the occasion matters.
The fire may be what cooks the meal. The gauchos may provide the theater. The food may be what first brings everyone to the table.
But the real art of Fogo de Chão is creating the joy once they gather.
Fogo de Chão Troy | 248.817.1800
Designed and styled by Margaret Meyer Haight. Hair and makeup up Becca Haight @hair.by_bech
"You can taste the love in a dish made from scratch." – Michelle Choice
"The gaucho represents a beautiful marriage of chef and butcher, one who has the opportunity to serve guests at the table." – Michelle Choice