Chef and founder Caroline Martins was born in Brazil, and has had a fascinating life journey so far. She spent over a decade working as a plasma physicist before giving up a scientific career to pursue the lifelong dream of becoming a professional chef. That journey began by taking part in MasterChef Brazil, which led to Caroline gaining a significant fan base in her home country. She then moved to London to obtain a diplome at the esteemed culinary school Le Cordon Bleu. After that, Caroline worked in some of the finest restaurants in the world, including positions at Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs (2 Michelin stars), Trenkerstube at Hotel Castel (2 Michelin stars), Galvin La Chapelle (1 Michelin star) and Pied à terre (1 Michelin star). After moving to Manchester in early 2020, with government regulations causing restaurants to close, she worked as a private chef for various public figures. In 2022 and 2023, Caroline appeared on the BBC’s Great British Menu, representing the north-west region.

Coming from a humble background, Caroline has worked incredibly hard to succeed in this industry. With passion and talent, she is focused on introducing Brazilian cuisine to the UK, showing that Brazilian gastronomy is much more than steak houses and feijoada.

Between January and October 2022, Sao Paulo by Caroline Martins held a residency at Manchester’s trendy Ancoats district. Caroline offered a regularly changing small plates menu and a 12-course tasting menu, showcasing the best locally-sourced ingredients alongside traditional Brazilian flavours to bring truly unique British-Brazilian fusion dishes to Manchester. Met with favourable reviews from diners and the media alike, the response was fantastic, leading Sao Paulo by Caroline Martins to be nominated as ‘PopUp of the Year’ by the prestigious Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards. Not only that, Caroline was also nominated as ‘Chef of the Year’, alongside the best chefs in the city.

The demand for Caroline’s Brazilian-British fusion concept has been continuously growing since then, and in November 2022, SAMPA was born! SAMPA is the nickname Brazilians give to the city of Sao Paulo – A perfect correlation that reflects a laid back spin on the previous fine-dining concept

SAMPA’s menu focus on small plates designed to be shared. With a passion for championing Brazilian cuisine in the UK, small, local suppliers are at the core of the menu.

SAMPA was nominated as ‘PopUp of the Year’ by the prestigious Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards 2023 and also nominated as ‘Best Local Restaurant 2023’ by The Good Food Guide.

Planned to open in 2024, Sao Paulo Project will be a small fine dining restaurant (up to 30 covers), featuring affordable tasting menus, including a vegan tasting menu option. Caroline will showcase exotic Brazilian ingredients and techniques, and give a modern twist to dishes found across the 26 states of Brazil. It will also offer an exclusive wine list composed of the finest Latin American & British award-winning offerings, as well as traditional Brazilian cocktails and spirits. Diners will also enjoy a truly immersive experience; with an eye-catching entrance, memorable décor in the dining room and an open kitchen that will offers diners the opportunity to interact with the chef.

Today, new culinary concepts and experiences are thriving in the UK, with that in mind, the ambition is for Sao Paulo Project to be the leading light of Brazilian cuisine in the UK.