Renowned chef Janaina Torres is happy. Very happy. In less than a month, he found a very special place for his new restaurant and fulfilled his desire to have a boat – establishing a link with one of his passions, the sea. Until the end of the year, he will complete a travel schedule across Europe, Asia and Latin America, participating in festivals and gastronomic experiments. A born entrepreneur, her eyes shine much brighter when talking about new projects than about the title of best female chef in the world, won earlier this year at the awards ceremony. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
In an interview with InvestNewsJanaina says that she has just acquired another property in the central region of São Paulo, which already houses her iconic restaurants Bar da Dona Onça and A Casa do Porco, among other businesses.
In 2025, the new address, still kept confidential, will house one of the units of what he considers his life’s project, entitled “À Brasileira” and inspired by the idea of experiencing the country in a broad way. Another location, which should only open in 2026, will be larger and will form a kind of gastronomic-cultural complex, bringing together not only food from all regions of Brazil, but also festivals, traditions, literary productions, cultural events, etc.
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Born in a tenement in the city center, simplicity and attention to people temper her talent. She prefers to be called a cook, rather than a chef, and says she takes care of the finances herself, “by hand”. She says that her investments always end up linked to work, which for her mixes with her personal life. Its math is as follows: the success of one project funds the next. And so it goes.
Pension plan? “I had it until the day before yesterday. Until I buy this new business”, he says, smiling. “I’m going into debt, I’m not afraid. But if I can’t pay, I’ll return (the property)”, he concludes, in a more serious tone, stressing that he knows the risks. At the same time, he exudes enormous confidence that the new venture will prosper, as happened with his other businesses.
Still regarding the management of what she earns, Janaina does not hesitate to say that she prefers to reinvest in her establishments rather than have resources saved in the bank. “Of course, if a crisis comes, it’s screwed. But war is war, right?”, he states, remembering that his origins are extremely simple, he lived on limited money for a long time, and that he won by being self-taught. Little really scares her. The most important thing, he says, is that his children’s future is guaranteed.
When he separated from fellow chef Jefferson Rueda, in 2022, the main assets were in the name of the two boys, with the use of their parents.
A dream that became a memory rescue
Janaina has not yet revealed the exact address where she will take the first big step of the À Brasileira project, but she adds that it will be in the region where she spent her entire childhood, which she considers a gift from destiny and the opportunity to rescue memories also of those who knew the place .
Spoiler: the tenement in which he was born and spent much of his childhood is in the São Paulo neighborhood of Brás. She also lived in Mooca and Bixiga before putting down roots on the outskirts of Praça da República, where she once had a food stall.
In the same region, at the foot of the famous Copan Building, is the longest-running business in Janaina, Bar da Dona Onça, opened in 2008. At the time, it saved around R$150 thousand, saved during the ten years it worked in a multinational drinks company, but insufficient to make the dream come true… Between going back and forth to resolve the issue, he received an offer of partnership from his godfather Julio Cesar de Toledo Piza Junior. The rest is history.
Seu Julio, as he was known, passed away in 2020, at the age of 80. Bohemian, he was a well-known figure in the center of São Paulo and was president of the former Commodities and Futures Exchange (BM&F), which later merged with the São Paulo Stock Exchange (Bovespa) and, together, became B3. He wanted a bar close to home to drink his whiskey in peace and ended up owning half of Bar da Dona Onça.
After his death, the share passed to his only son, Julio Neto, who also inherited 50% of other businesses from Janaina and Jefferson (partners to this day): the Hot Pork snack bar, the Merenda da Cidade restaurant and the Sorveteria do Centro, making became majority shareholder after the couple’s divorce. Together with Dona Onça and A Casa do Porco, the projects generate revenue of close to R$100 million per year.
Neto also agreed to invest in À Brasileira, but in this project she will be the one who will have the biggest share. The extra capital will be used to restore the property, buy equipment, etc.
Regarding the estimated annual revenue of her five current businesses, Janaina comments: “One hundred million is a beautiful number, right? In fact, the government wins, with almost 30%, excluding water, electricity, etc. This is really crazy.” According to her, considering the portion that is reinvested in the business itself, there is less left over than people imagine. And he warns sailors: “No one gets rich owning a restaurant anymore. That’s a bit bullshit. You became very rich when you didn’t pay taxes.”
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Time is scarce and some extravagances (only once in a while). Down to earth and moderation are characteristics that the cook strongly recommends to anyone who works, or thinks about, in the food and beverage industry. To this end, he counts on the help of a financial auditor from the beginning of his career, who rigorously checks monthly expenses, for example.
The lack of distinction between work and personal routine ends up compromising your free time. He even celebrated the murder of the villain Molina, from the soap opera “Mania de Você”, as he is a fan of the actor Rodrigo Lombardi. “I was watching, but he died. Fortunately.” She says she hasn’t seen the series “The Bear”, a popular production that portrays the dramas of a chef who inherits a bankrupt restaurant and tries to turn it into a big business, awarded three statuettes at the 2024 Emmy. Currently, she says she is fascinated for the book “It’s not soup”, by Nina Horta.
Any extravagance? I wanted to experience a first class flight. “The one with the shower and everything, you know?” Last year, sad about having to end a fantastic trip to Japan, he decided to give himself an upgrade on his plane ticket. “I paid a fortune to have this moment, but I thought it was really good. I wanted to come back happy.”
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Another moment of happiness is very fresh in memory. At the beginning of September, she and her current husband, filmmaker Leandro Langoni, bought a used 32-foot boat (about ten meters long and three meters wide). “It was very well maintained and we paid a good price”, he celebrates, saying that the capital came from a marketing campaign that involved both partners.
The acquisition fulfilled an old desire, and now allows a direct connection with the sea, which is part of the identity of Janaina, a name of Tupi-Guarani origin that means “queen of the waters”. Dona Onça was supposed to be called Bar da Janaina, with white and blue decorations, reminiscent of Iemanjá.
The change came when he was convinced to use the nickname Dona Onça, given by a maître d’ who was a friend of the then Rueda couple, the Mancha. Along with her strong personality, she also wore a lot of “leopard” print clothes. Today, a tattoo with the feline’s spots occupies his entire left arm.
With so much fixed assets, if tomorrow, by chance, you need a large amount on hand, how can you obtain immediate liquidity? “At the moment, only if I sell everything”, he says, laughing. “But I am not afraid, because my business works well. I think that in about three years I will get tough. But then it passes.”
