On September 2, 1986, Pepê opened Tatsumi Sushi Bar, which would later become Sushi Leblon, on Rua Dias Ferreira in Rio de Janeiro. The establishment was the first Japanese restaurant in Rio's South Zone, inaugurated with a party that brought together people connected to surfing, music, and free flight, communities to which Pepê was linked. At the time, eating raw fish with wooden chopsticks seemed exotic in Rio.
The restaurant's founder was Pedro Paulo Schmidt, known as Pepê, a pioneer of professional surfing in Brazil and world champion of free flight in Japan. After a trip to the Asian country, he returned enchanted by the light and fresh food of Japanese cuisine and decided to bring it to Rio. Pepê opened the restaurant alongside Carolina Gayoso, whom he had married months earlier.
Singer Leo Jaime, present at the inauguration, remembers the festive atmosphere and Pepê's personality, highlighting his joy and healthy way of bringing people together. The environment matched the lifestyle he cultivated, mixing elements of Rio with Japanese tradition.
Forty years later, Dias Ferreira has become one of the busiest addresses in Rio de Janeiro, and Sushi Leblon remains a reference in the city, completing four decades of existence.
