On 10 August, Facundo Kelemen will bring the contemporary bodegón of Buenos Aires to Maní for the next edition of Segundas no Maní, the restaurant’s continuing series of collaborative Monday dinners.
Kelemen will cook alongside Helena Rizzo and Willem Vandeven, creating an eight-course menu shaped by seasonal ingredients and the Italian and Spanish culinary influences that travelled through both Argentina and Brazil. The pairing gives the evening a clear subject: what happened to European recipes after they crossed the Atlantic, landed in two countries and had generations to misbehave.
At Mengano, Kelemen takes the familiar language of the porteño bodegón and subjects it to serious technique. Empanadas, milanesa, gnocchi, revuelto gramajo and other fixtures of Buenos Aires neighbourhood cooking return as smaller, sharper plates designed for sharing. The restaurant, opened in Palermo in 2018, holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand and was ranked No.82 in the extended Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list for 2024.
Three of Kelemen’s contributions to the Maní dinner have already been announced: juicy empanaditas filled with spicy meat, chipá gnocchi with cacio e pepe, dulce de batata and balsamic vinegar, and crispy rice with seafood. The gnocchi may be the evening’s most concise piece of storytelling, folding Italian pasta, the cassava starch used in South American chipá and the thoroughly Argentine combination of cheese with sweet potato paste into a single plate.
Before opening Mengano, Kelemen left a career in law, studied at the Argentine Gastronomy Institute and worked at Tegui in Buenos Aires, followed by Estela and Atera in New York. He also recently opened Chuchú inside Buenos Aires’ National Railway Museum.
Segundas no Maní has previously brought chefs including Enrique Olvera, Daniela Soto-Innes, Pía León, Jorge Vallejo, Rodolfo Guzmán, Margot Janse and Bo Bech into the Maní kitchen. This edition continues the format with a collaboration whose cultural connections extend well beyond the usual exchange of signature dishes.
Practicalities
Event: Segundas no Maní with Facundo Kelemen
Date: 10 August 2026, from 19:00
Location: Maní, Rua Joaquim Antunes 210, Jardim Paulistano, São Paulo
Menu: R$890 per person
Beverage pairing: R$490
Reservations: Maní, +55 11 97473-8994 or reservasmani@manimanioca.com.br
