The Veuve Clicquot World’s best female chef of 2014 Awarded to Helena Rizzo

Helena Rizzo of Mani Restaurant, in São Paulo, Brazil has been named the 2014 Veuve Clicquot World’s Best Female Chef and will be honoured at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards in London on the 28th April.

The award celebrates the work of a woman whose cooking excites the world’s toughest critics and most venerated chefs, more than 900 of whom voted in this category.

William Drew, Group Editor of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, said, “We are very proud to present this award, in conjunction with Veuve Clicquot, to Helena. In what remains a very male world, we feel that celebrating the success of brilliant female chefs is vitally important. If Helena’s achievements, in turn, inspire future generations of women to enter the profession, that can only be a positive outcome.”

Rizzo responded to the news of her win by saying: “This award is a recognition of my work and of the work of our entire team. I am not and have never intended to be ‘the best female chef in the world’, this is a difficult judgement to make. Of course, I'm very happy and honoured to receive this award and I’m grateful for it! I hope that this award makes the gastronomic world open its eyes to the work of female cooks and to the wonderful kitchens we have in Brazil."

Brazilian-born Rizzo moved to São Paulo aged 18 to pursue a modelling career. She began working in kitchens part time and, before long, had turned her back on modelling to nurture her love of gastronomy.

After working with some of the most influential names on the Brazilian food scene she spent two years running the kitchen at São Paulo’s Na Mata Café before embarking on a culinary adventure dedicated to honing her skills and researching new techniques.

Stints in Italy and Spain followed, including time at El Celler de Can Roca, currently the highest ranked restaurant on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. But she returned to São Paulo in 2004 with her husband to open Mani Restaurant in 2006. Their clever cooking, respectful of traditional Brazilian culinary practices and ingredients, is married with modern technique and sprinkled with Spanish influence.

The award is inspired by the life and achievements of Madame Clicquot who nearly 200 years ago set the standard for women in business. The winner reflects Madame Clicquot’s attributes of innovation, creativity and determination.