The talk by the chef of Manu (Curitiba, Brazil) called for a better understanding of history, and an appreciation of the work of the primary sector through chefs.

Manu Buffara introduced FéminAs to the potential for change in cookery. Her perception of cooking as a powerful agent of transformation drives her philosophy and her culinary fare, and she does this from a polyhedral perspective. “Cooking drives change: a change in terms of female empowerment, of local producers, of the retrieval of roots, to change the community and create a link between creativity and sustainability", claimed Buffara, and applied some examples. 

The chef believes that cooking is not the chef's only task, but that it also goes hand in hand with "changing and having an impact on your community". In this regard, she dwelt on her direct work with producers so that their produce can be treated in the way it deserves to be treated, an essential task which falls to the chef: “each product embarks on a very long journey before it reaches the kitchen, and we must honour it with creativity”. And, according to Buffara, creativity is the key to working with humble products and making them grandiose; that is why, at her restaurant, Manu decided not to finish off the menu with meat, but with a vegetable recipe instead in a prominent role. At the end of the day, the chef's task is to pay homage to this first link in the chain because, in the Brazilian's own words, "we are nothing without the people behind us: the producers and the community". 

On the basis that gastronomy is culture, Manu Buffara also makes a stand for the retrieval of the origins cookery must have. “I cook to change my city and my community, but what's most important is for me to cook for myself, to pass on my story - which is the story of my people - in my recipes. My menu is storytelling, about my territory, and my tradition”. A story that must be heard because "without the cooking of the past, we cannot develop the cooking of the future”; and so this chef feels we must "be proud of our own origins”. 

On the social level, cooking is also a key factor in making changes to food and to patterns of behaviour to create societies that are healthier, more aware and more sustainable. Manu Buffara deplores the fact that we do not pay sufficient attention to eating itself: “time is our food's enemy - we eat quickly and don't pay any attention to it. We need time to eat, to understand what we're eating, to share that meal”. Only with that awareness will we be able to make a difference and build societies that are more sustainable in their relationship with food, and also healthier societies, "because food has a major impact on health, growth and illnesses". A change that cannot be delayed, according to Buffara, and therefore "we must show exemplary behaviour to change our children's future". 

The Curitiba chef's talk could be summarised in a single sentence: “I believe that cooking is an act of love, it is not just cooking to serve up food, but to pass on your philosophy, to bring together the people you care about, to make changes for the better".