Carolina Brignani Texeira’s background is as eclectic as it is fascinating: she is a psychologist, an actress, a percussionist, and the co-founder of two all-women samba bands in Montevideo and Rome. This unique blend of psychological insight and artistic passion allows her to read a dining room like a script, ensuring every guest feels a spark of magic the moment they walk through the door.
With 16 years of hospitality under her belt—including launching world-famous restaurant startups internationally—Carolina leads Ginger with an fierce commitment to women’s leadership and an infectious, resilient vibe. For her, a restaurant isn’t just a place to eat; it’s where life happens, memories are made, and love stories unfold (she was even proposed to right on the Ginger floor during a Valentine’s Day event!).
What first interested you in your area of the hospitality industry?
What initially drew me to hospitality was the profound power to craft a beautiful, transformative experience for people. Over my 16 years in this industry, I’ve realized that when you possess a natural, burning passion for taking care of others, staying positive, flexible, and genuinely helpful becomes second nature. My background in psychology and theater gave me the ultimate toolkit to read a room, understand human behavior, and effortlessly manage every intricate detail under high pressure. Plus, speaking five languages allows me to personally welcome and connect with an incredibly diverse, international clientele, making them feel instantly at home and desired from the moment they step through our doors.
Who are a few of the people that have encouraged your career?
I discovered my true, fierce potential in this industry through the visionary professionals who saw something special in me and truly believed in my vision. I am especially grateful to my Italian mentors, Enrico Rossi and Dario Asara, who supported me both in Brazil and in Italy. Additionally, during my five defining years working in Malta, Alfio Navarria recognized my natural leadership skills early on and relentlessly pushed me to step into management. These mentors were fundamental; they challenged my limits, trusted my instincts, and helped sculpt me into the confident, magnetic leader I am today.
What challenges do you think people face in your industry?
The ultimate challenges today are mastering high-octane stress and keeping a team deeply motivated. This industry moves at a relentless, lightning-fast pace—especially in New York City—and it is incredibly easy for talent to burn out. Currently, as the manager at Ginger, I also face a deeply rewarding cultural challenge: training an American team to truly embody and understand the soul of authentic Italian hospitality and culinary traditions. My mission is to constantly inspire and educate our staff so they can flawlessly deliver a true, seductive Italian experience to our guests, while building a fiercely supportive environment where the team feels unstoppable, even during the busiest shifts.
Can you cite a few accomplishments that have given you great pride and elevated your work?
One of my absolute proudest achievements is successfully launching four distinct restaurant startups from the ground up, including opening the world-famous ‘Pizzeria da Michele’ in Malta. Taking a legendary brand with such a massive, historic legacy and building its entire operations from scratch was an incredible, adrenaline-fueled milestone. Today, my daily pride comes from commanding the floor at Ginger in Midtown Manhattan. Every single time a guest leaves a glowing review, compliments our authentic, charismatic service, or becomes a regular, I feel an intoxicating sense of success.
What piece of advice can you lend to others who are considering your career?
You have to boldly accept the reality of this lifestyle: you will be working hard and creating the magic while everyone else is out having fun, including weekends and holidays. To truly thrive, you need to be lightning-fast, practical, and highly adaptable. You will dance with stress every single day, so my golden advice is simple: only step into this world if you genuinely, deeply love people. If you have that inner, burning passion, the long hours and the intense rhythm stop feeling like work—they become natural, exhilarating, and incredibly rewarding.
Everyone who works in hospitality has a story to tell about something incredible that happened on the job. What’s one that you often tell?
Over the years, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of serving high-profile icons, from Hollywood actors like Owen Wilson and Roberto Benigni to the legendary singer Laura Pausini. But the story that absolutely steals my heart happened right here inside the walls of Ginger. My future husband, who is a Master Pizzaiolo, actually proposed to me during a live music Valentine’s Day event we had organized at the restaurant! In front of a completely packed room of guests and coworkers, he completely surprised me by serenading me with the classic Italian love song, “Tu si ‘na cosa grande.” It was an unforgettable, electric moment that reminded me exactly why I fell in love with this industry: a great restaurant isn’t just a place to eat—it’s a stage where life happens, romance unfolds, and beautiful memories are forever made.
What do you hope people understand about those who work in your area of hospitality?
I deeply hope people understand that high-end hospitality requires an immense, almost heroic amount of emotional resilience and personal sacrifice. When guests walk into Ginger, they don’t need to know—and shouldn’t feel—if we’ve had a grueling or difficult day. We effortlessly put our own feelings aside to ensure they have an absolutely amazing, seamless time. We are beautifully human, not robots, and we navigate highly stressful moments behind the scenes, but our ultimate, intoxicating reward is seeing a customer smile, relax, and feel profoundly cared for.
Is there anything else you want Woman Around Town readers to know?
Since this is specifically for Woman Around Town, I want to loudly celebrate the vital importance of women’s leadership in hospitality. In traditionally male-dominated environments, women often have to work twice as hard to command the same respect, and our mistakes are sometimes unfairly tied to our gender rather than just standard professional hurdles. However, through unshakeable professionalism, fierce consistency, and a dazzling, positive vibe, we are shattering those barriers. I want every woman striving in this industry to know that our deep empathy, intuition, and leadership are exactly what the modern hospitality world is craving—and we are proving our undeniable value every single day.
For more information, go to the restaurant’s website.
Photo Credit: Patrick Dolande
