Ann Marie Manhart
Hi! I’m Ann Marie Manhart, born and bred in the Philippines, where I grew up in my grandma’s restaurant whilst my mom managed it. After university in Manila, I spent half a year in New York at the Culinary Institute of America. I spent time working in a few fancy restaurants in Manila as well as traineeships in America as a young woman.
In the Philippines, whilst studying for my MBA, I conceptualised high-value agricultural products for an agro-development company and ran a processing plant in the countryside. I particularly found it fulfilling to develop capacity building initiatives in rural areas, most particularly for women and mothers. I also taught for eight years at the College of St. Benilde and specially loved my stint teaching entrepreneurship to the youth.
In 2010, I moved to Vienna and have been living in this wonderful city since. I have managed to go back to university in Vienna to earn an MSc in Environmental Technology and International Affairs from the Diplomatic Academy and from the Technical University of Vienna. For six years I ran my consultancy firm which specialised on resource and waste management and the circular economy, some of the core environmental goals of the EU.
Raising a Viennese son has brought me back to my roots. I wrote the book to showcase the diversity and beauty of Philippine cuisine for my son and so many other diaspora children like him. I wrote it too for those who are interested in Philippine heritage cooking. It’s a little diversion from my goals as a climate and sustainability professional, but I do hope you like it!
You may get in touch with me at 100yearsrecipes@gmail.com or follow me on Instagram @womaninwien.
