Earlier this summer Silva parted company with Guilhotina Bar - the São Paulo venue he co-owned and took to 15th spot in The World’s 50 Best Bars in 2019 - in search of new opportunities.
The first of those will come in January or February, with the launch of Ella – Buffara’s second restaurant – in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. The collaboration will see Silva and Buffara bring a piece of Brazil to the Big Apple, through casual modern Brazilian dining and a bar serving classic cocktails through a Brazilian lens.
Silva is no stranger to New York. “I’ve been there many times, but I’ve never done something this big,” he told DI. “I want to export the idea of Brazilian bartending – not just the ingredients. We have a Brazilian way of working, which, like the culture, takes influence from all over the world.”
The pair have collaborated before – not least on an activation in New York when Silva was Yaguara Cachaça brand ambassador – but this is their first bricks-and-mortar partnership.
Word of the move comes just weeks after Silva unexpectedly announced his departure from Guilhotina – the world-famous São Paulo bar he had become synonymous with. “My four years at Guilhotina were a great journey," he said. "Since returning to Brazil, I’d always wanted to showcase what a Brazilian bar could be. The reaction to what we achieved was huge. But this year, it became stressful – the other owners and I had different ideologies and beliefs about how we should run the business.”
Silva had hoped to launch a buyout of the bar, only to be scuppered by the economic impact of the pandemic. “After Covid 19 hit, I couldn’t afford to buy the remaining shares," he said. "I decided to sell up to do the things I believe in. I want to continue to showcase Brazil - that’s the reason I accepted the opportunity to work with Manoella Buffara in New York.”
The partnership at Ella isn’t a permanent move for Silva but could open the door to a longer stay in New York. “It is temporary for me, but if I come to understand the American way of living and doing business, it would be a pleasure to spend more time in New York,” said Silva.
