Know the Chef

Chef Manuel Olveira Seller.

Born in the UNESCO heritage town of Toledo in Spain, Chef Manuel’s earliest childhood memories stem from his mother ’s restaurant where he got his first glimpse of the various techniques of cooking. His passion for the craft inspired him to start cooking at the age of merely fourteen, and he helped out at the family restaurant on weekends, where he often served Spanish home-cooked food. He furthered his passion by enrolling at a culinary school in Toledo where he received hands-on knowledge of Spanish cuisine as well as unique techniques of making cheese, sauces and breads. Upon graduating with a certificate of diploma, he was recruited at a Michelin-star restaurant and ever since then, over the course of his career, he has worked as Chef De Cuisine at several illustrious hotels around the world, including 55&5th The Grill at the St. Regis, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi and as Chef De Cuisine at Le Cirque and Café Belge at The Ritz-Carlton in Dubai. In Mumbai, he started off as Chef De Cuisine at Arola Bar & Restaurant, JW Marriott, Mumbai, and has now finally achieved his lifelong dream of opening up his own restaurant - La Loca Maria.