Flavors of Maré emerged from the demand of mothers of students from CIEP Operário Vicente Mariano, in Baixa do Sapateiro, who were interested in improving the eating habits of their families.

From this experience, the project developed a methodology that recognizes adequate and healthy food as a fundamental right and an essential part of quality of life.

Food insecurity and economic exclusion disproportionately affect Black women living in favelas, constituting dimensions of structural violence. Faced with this scenario, the project acts on local food systems as a strategy of care, strengthening, and promotion of rights.

The training includes gastronomy courses, classes on gender and society, entrepreneurship and marketing workshops, mentoring, and professional guidance, connecting technical qualification to real opportunities for work and income.

The project also encourages the participation of students in events, exchanges, and public spaces, expanding their recognition as social and political subjects.

Throughout its trajectory, Flavors of Maré has already trained more than 1,500 women and consolidated around 400 concrete income generation experiences.

Buffet Flavors of Maré is the project’s work and income generation front, bringing together women who went through the gastronomy training process, representing a successful example of a social impact business.

Structured as a food service, the buffet combines work, income, and permanence within the territory, expanding economic possibilities collectively and aligned with the project’s principles.

Its activities include social and corporate events, institutional meetings, cultural and university actions, and private demands, bringing Maré’s gastronomy to different spaces across Rio de Janeiro.

The menus value natural ingredients, artisanal preparations, and recipes connected to the food memory of the territory, marked by the strong presence of Northeastern Brazilian culture.

More than providing a service, the buffet constitutes a continuous space for professional practice, in which women strengthen their trajectories toward economic autonomy and expand their work networks.

Team

Coordination: Mariana Aleixo and Michele Gandra

Producer: Carmin da Conceição F. Machado

Food Projects Developer – Nutritionist: Verônica Pires Pinheiro

Buyer: Sandra Solange Gomes Barbosa

Communication and Marketing Strategies: Ana Beatriz Giacomo

Cooks: Celia Silva, Josefa Cardoso Pereira, Raimunda Luciana Rodrigues Lopes, Rita de Cássia, Samara Alves do Nascimento, Tatiana Soares de Lima, Tetê Therans Mendes, and Yula Tavares.

Buffet Contact

E-mail: maredesabores@redesdamare.gov.org

Phone: +55 21 97016 6803

Social media: @Maré Sabores

Photo 1:
Dish: Maré-style acarajé with sun-dried meat vatapá

Photo 2:
Dish: Oxtail stew with angu