São Paulo 2024
2024 Pequeno Príncipe Gala was held in São Paulo
Event combined haute cuisine and solidarity in favor of children’s health
The Pequeno Príncipe held, on September 30th, the 15th edition of Pequeno Príncipe Gala, an event that was conceived to unite haute cuisine and solidarity. The party was held at Casa Bisutti, in São Paulo, and raised funds for health assistance and research activities carried out at the institution.
As in all other editions, 2024 Pequeno Príncipe Gala had chef Claude Troisgros as its patron and curator. He prepared an exclusive menu for the occasion, alongside renowned chefs Rafa Costa e Silva, Felipe Bronze and Manu Buffara.
Below, find out more about this edition’s chefs.
Claude Troisgros
Claude Troisgros has been the patron of Pequeno Príncipe Gala since the first edition. In addition to curating the events, he personally signs one of the dishes served and mobilizes his network of talented chefs to form teams that make each event unique.
Troisgros is the personification of talent and solidarity. One of the biggest names in international gastronomy and the main builder of the bridge between French and Brazilian cuisine, he arrived in Brazil more than 40 years ago. In Rio de Janeiro, he started a family and, in love with the land, he embarked on a new culinary perspective, using Brazilian ingredients and flavors.
Currently, he owns five restaurants, including Chez Claude – with one unit in São Paulo and another in Rio de Janeiro. He is also recognized for presenting TV programs, especially Que Marravilha!, which airs on the Brazilian GNT channel.
Manu Buffara
Owner of the Manu restaurant, chef Manu Buffara was named by 50Best, the best female chef in Latin America in 2022. She has accumulated national and international awards and honors in recent years, such as number 48 in the world ranking The Best Chef Awards, Manu is also the owner of restaurant number 46 on the list of the 50 Best Restaurants in Latin America (both in 2022) and a permanent judge since 2019, at the Basque Culinary Center. In addition to the Manu restaurant, in Curitiba, she runs a pop-up restaurant at the Soneva Resort, in the Maldives Islands. This was the second time that Manu participated at the Pequeno Príncipe Gala.
Rafa Costa e Silva
Owner of the Lasai restaurant, chef Rafa Costa e Silva is experiencing a year of great recognition. His restaurant won its second star in the Michelin Guide last May. He also ranked 58th on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list. His restaurant prioritizes vegetables grown on farms near Rio de Janeiro and serves dinners for only ten people per night. This was chef Rafa Costa e Silva’s third participation in the Pequeno Príncipe Gala.
Felipe Bronze
Owner of the Oro restaurant, recognized with two Michelin stars, Felipe Bronze was awarded “Chef of the Year” five times by Veja Rio magazine and three times by the O Globo newspaper. With a 15-year career on television, Bronze is currently the host with most hours on TV simultaneously. His restaurant Oro, located in Rio de Janeiro, serves cutting-edge Brazilian menus prepared over a hot fire. The year of 2024 was the debut of Felipe Bronze as a supporter of Pequeno Príncipe Gala.
Supporters and honorees
Daniele Giacomazzi Behring and Amalia Spinardi Thompson Motta were the philanthropic supporters of this edition, which had Many Tigre Elache, Marjorie Geiger Hauser and Sylvia Brasil Coutinho as patronesses.
The night also had a special moment to recognize great names in philanthropy and science. In this edition, philanthropist Ana Maria Igel and doctors José Luiz Setúbal and Sandra Mutarelli Setúbal, from PENSI Institute – Research and Teaching in Child Health, were honored.
Challenges and goals
The goal of this edition of the Gala was to raise US$ 300,000, which will be applied to health assistance and research activities carried out at Pequeno Príncipe Hospital, which allocates 60% of its capacity to care for patients under the Brazilian Public Health System (known as SUS). Caring for these patients generates an important deficit for the institution, as for every US$ 20 spent on treatment, the SUS passes on only US$ 11.38 to the Hospital. In other words, the average deficit is 43% for each service provided.
Scientific research in Brazil, on the other hand, receives very little incentive and funding. While the average investment in science made by developed countries is around 3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in Brazil it reaches less than 1.2%. Pequeno Príncipe invests in research because it believes that science is the way to find new means to diagnose and treat complex childhood diseases, identifying new possibilities to reduce mortality in children and adolescents.
The Hospital performance in these two activities – providing services under SUS and investing in research – has generated an important financial challenge for Pequeno Príncipe. In 2023, the institution ended the year with a deficit of more than US$ 14 million. Society’s support has been essential to minimize this impact and continue offering all children and adolescents an opportunity for a healthy life.
Photos by Gustavo Morita, Lila Batista, Marieli Prestes and Wynitow Butenas.