Janaína Torres Rueda Latin Americ’s Best Female Chef 2023
The activist, sommelier and chef co-runs one of the top kitchens in the world and champions
inclusivity in fine dining
Torres Rueda will be honoured at the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 awards ceremony on
28 November, the first time the event is held in her native Brazil
5 October 2023 – Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 has announced Janaína Torres Rueda as Latin
America’s Best Female Chef. Torres Rueda is chef-owner of fine dining restaurant A Casa do Porco, casual
Bar da Dona Onça, hot dog kiosk Hot Pork, lunch and sandwich shop Merenda da Cidade, artisanal
slaughterhouse Porco Real, and ice cream shop Sorveteria do Centro in São Paulo, Brazil. Torres Rueda,
who shares ownership of her businesses with Jefferson Rueda and is a leading figure of the social
gastronomy movement in Brazil, becomes the 10th chef to receive the esteemed award, marking a decade-
long celebration of inclusivity in the culinary sphere and empowerment of future generations of female
chefs.
A voice of the people and champion of democratic fine dining, Torres Rueda operates her ventures
according to her mission of improving and transforming the Brazilian population’s diet by offering quality
artisanal products at affordable prices. At her casual diner Bar da Dona Onça in the city centre, she serves
hearty dishes like galinhada, a typical Brazilian chicken stew. At the more upscale A Casa do Porco, she
and business partner Jefferson Rueda offer a tasting menu priced at less than $60 USD, including Torres
Rueda’s Porco San Zé with pork from their own livestock roasted for six to eight hours. In 2022, A Casa do
Porco was named The Best Restaurant in Brazil as part of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants and this
year placed No.12 at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Torres Rueda will be celebrated on 28 November at the awards ceremony of Latin America’s 50 Best
Restaurants 2023, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, in Rio de Janeiro. The presentation of Latin
America’s Best Female Chef Award 2023 is the first of three special awards announced in advance of the
ceremony, to be succeeded by the announcement of the Icon Award on 23 October and the American
Express One To Watch Award on 6 November.
William Drew, Director of Content for Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants, says: “Janaína Torres Rueda
has long been not just an exceptional chef but also a true champion of social gastronomy with anunwavering commitment to serving her community. As we applaud her remarkable journey, we also
commemorate a decade of outstanding achievements by talented female chefs in the region that are
driving gastronomy into the next era.”
Torres Rueda adds: “To stand alongside a long line of powerful women who represent the change we want
to see in the industry is an incredible honor. As always, I’m grateful for the platform that 50 Best provides
to spread the importance of inclusion, better living conditions and proper food education. We all have a
role to play in helping each other thrive.”
Torres Rueda’s impact stretches far beyond the confines of the kitchen. In 2020, she received the
American Express Icon Award – Latin America, a reflection of her commitment to the community from
campaigning for healthy school meals and inclusive gastronomy to mobilising industry leaders around
Covid-19 relief and helping vulnerable communities during the pandemic. Between 2015 and 2019, the
São Paulo-born chef volunteered extensively for the “Cooks for Education” initiative, orchestrating the
transformation of state school meals by substituting processed items with natural alternatives, ultimately
benefiting 1.8 million school children. Inspired by her experience, Torres Rueda opened Merenda da
Cidade in 2023 where she serves a cafeteria-style menu at an affordable price.
Alongside journalist Rafael Tonon, Torres Rueda also co-wrote the book 50 Restaurantes Com Mais De 50
(2017), telling the stories of 50 time-honoured restaurants in São Paulo. In 2021, she assumed the
presidency of Instituto Brasil a Gosto, an organisation ardently committed to championing projects that
celebrate local ingredients and ensure their accessibility to consumers.
Torres Rueda joins a select group of chefs recognised for their invaluable contribution to gastronomy since
the launch of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2013. Previous recipients of the Latin America’s Best
Female Chef Award include Manoella ‘Manu’ Buffara, Narda Lepes, Pía León, Leonor Espinosa, Helena
Rizzo and many more.
50 Best remains committed to shining a light on as many hospitality establishments as possible with the
return of the list of those restaurants ranked between 51st and 100th in Latin America in 2023. The 51-
100 list will be announced on 16 November, followed by the reveal of the Latin America’s 50 Best
Restaurants list on 28 November 2023.