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CUISINE soapstone and set about the cha llenge of commissioning someone to make it for him. "Then began the journey of me going from one end of the city to the other, trying to find someone who would be willing to build this thing that has never before existed in Brazil," he says. "At that point, I'd only been in the country for four months, so you can imagine how well I was able to articulate all this." A few months and $3,000 later, Shiroma had his mobile trailer oven ( jeitinho!) and fired up Ferro e Farinha ("Iron and Flour" in Portuguese). But lighting the fire proved far more difficult than coming up with a name. "The first time I attempted to start a fire was a disaster," he says. "Daniela and I decided to take the oven out to a beachside forest for test- ing. We were all set to have a romantic night of overnight camping by a wood fire with piz- zas coming out. However, when the moment came to actually start a fire, I produced a lot of smoke for four awkward and embarrassing hours. Finally, defeated and covered in ash, I gave up. Not my proudest moment." But Shiroma eventually figured out fire. Then, fiercely adhering to Neapolitan-style doug h a nd cook ing technique but w ith a decidedly un-Neapolitan approach to ingre- dients and flavor, he took Ferro e Farinha to t he st reet s of R io i n late 2013, usi ng Facebook as his marketing weapon and the promise of giving 12 million Cariocas the opportunity to try something they'd never had at home (authentic Naples-style pizza) in a way they 'd never considered eating (in the street, with their hands). Shiroma found a few choice public squares, mostly in middle-class neighborhoods — places like Botafogo and Laranjeiras and occasionally as far out as Recreio, which offered just the right amount of foot traf fic coupled w ith just the right amount of inconspicuousness. A f ter t he i n it ia l w ave of f r iend s a nd friends of friends, the first official customer base to catch on was the expat community, all of whom were obviously well-tanned but suffering immensely from the lack of qual- ity pizza. "In Rio, pizza is a nighttime-only social food and/or delivery food," Shiroma ex pla ins. " You f ind neig hborhood shops that do most of their business in deliver y, the all-you-can-eat rodízio places and the rest au r a nt s w it h bow-t ied w a iter s a nd wine service charging upwards of ($26) for a pizza. Unfortunately, it's never great and is passable at best." S o on , l i ne s b eg a n for m i ng 3 0 t o 4 5 minutes before the Facebook-announced FLAVOR CENTRAL: Shiroma whips up pies like the Des Bois, with thyme butter, caramelized onion, Paris mushrooms, lemon and black pepper. 60 O C TO B E R 2 01 4 A A .CO M/A M E R I C A NWAY The Knee Diaries: SJ is a 60-year-old male with the chief complaint of knee pain who visited The Center for Regenerative Medicine over a year ago. He was diagnosed with bone-on-bone osteoarthritis of the left knee, causing much pain and discomfort; at that point he was told only a total knee replacement could help him. He is otherwise healthy. On exam he had point tenderness to the medial side of the left knee (medical lingo: inner side). An X-ray showed severe arthritis of the knee (X-ray on the left). Patient started receiving treatments at The Center for Regenerative Medicine. Today he is feeling better (X-ray on the right). This is how it works: The physician introduces Cell Therapy into damaged, arthritic cells by means of a precise injection. This process is followed by several other modalities, including Collateral Artery Flow Exercises (C.A.F.E.), in order to accelerate the process. Depending on tissue damage, severity of the condition and the size of the joint that needs to be injected, people usually need a series of 1 to 6 treatments to improve. There is usually no downtime, and people can go back to their usual activities or work immediately. The treatments can help most musculoskeletal problems such as low back pain, neck pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, whiplash, sciatica, tendinitis, sprain, strains, torn ligaments and cartilage damage. Located in Miami, Florida, The Center for Regenerative Medicine includes a team of professionals that are dedicated to improve your quality of life, paving the way to enhance the science of non-surgical orthopedic medicine. World champions, sports legends, professional and amateur athletes, dancers, and people with just plain pain and arthritis go to The Center for Regenerative Medicine for nonsurgical orthopedic care. Using the facility to improve their condition, thousands of successful cases have been treated over the past twelve years. For more information and to read more on "The Knee Diaries", please visit www.arthritisusa.net or call (305) 866-8384. THE CENTER FOR REGENERATIVE MEDICINE A NON-SURGICAL TECHNIQUE TO FIGHT AGAINST ARTHRITIS AND SPORTS INJURIES

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