January 23, 2025
Manu Buffara is the chef and restaurateur of restaurant Manu in Curitiba, Brazil. She grew up on a farm in Southern Brazil with her family of Italian and Lebanese ancestry. Aged 15, she moved to Curitiba, earned a degree in journalism and studied hotel management and gastronomy in Curitiba and in Piedmont, Italy. She worked as a trainee at Noma in Copenhagen and at three-star Alinea in Chicago. In 2012, she opened her own restaurant, Manu, in Curitiba, where she celebrates the culture and produce unique to the region of Paraná. She uses organic ingredients from selected suppliers as well as from her own garden. She is devoted to work sustainably with the seasons, supporting her local community.
