Brazilian chef Monelle Buffara, widely known as Manu Buffara, Has Become The Best Female Chef in Latin America by Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants List.

When Manu Buffara learned that she had become The Best Female Chef, she said that Buffara was proud not only of the food that she presented to her customers but also proud of her team and their collective philosophy. Buffara also noted that she was not only responsible for her team but also for Curitiba as a society.
Before opening her restaurant, Manu, in Curitiba, Manu Buffara worked in Copenhagen and Chicago and was the first female tasting chef and restaurant owner. Buffara and her team decide on their menus by traveling Atlantic forests, oceanside, and their own countrysides. Choosing Curitiba as the place for their restaurant was no coincidence either. Curitiba is in the south of Brazil and is known for its biodiversity and vast farmlands. And these are the criteria for Buffara’s menu: Sustainability and biodiversity.
Manu Buffara uses local products unique to Curitiba, including root vegetables. While she has not put beef on her menu since 2019, Buffara uses Parana’s sea products, meat options that are opted by hunters and gatherers. This shows that Buffara takes her research seriously regarding sustainability, which reflects in her creativity on her menus.
Manu Buffara will be getting her award on November 15, Tuesday at Merida, Yucatan.