APUNENA
Christina Sunae and Flor Ravioli, longtime friends, are the "heart and soul" behind ApuNena, an Asian tapas restaurant located in the Chacarita neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Christina Sunae is an American of Korean descent who grew up in the Philippines. Before opening ApuNena, she had two previous ventures: the closed-door restaurant that launched her Buenos Aires culinary career, followed by Sunae, a restaurant featuring Southeast Asian flavors. In 2020, she brought the Sunae concept to Manila, Philippines. Flor Ravioli, a nutritionist, chef, and Buenos Aires native, is worldly and passionate about Asian cuisine. She managed Moshi Moshi, among other restaurants and kitchens. She trained in Spain at the renowned El Bulli restaurant (2010-2011). Flor accompanied Christina Sunae on her research trip to the Philippines for her book, Kusinera Filipina, which was released in 2021. Flor was fascinated by the flavors and street culture, and together they discovered similarities in how small plates are served at tapas bars in Spain. This is how the idea for ApuNena - Asian Tapas was born. Apu means grandmother in Christina Sunae's Filipino family dialect, and Nena is both her name and her grandmother's name.
Together with a team of young chefs from different nationalities who give refreshing touches to Grandma ApuNena's recipes, national producers and SMEs who believe in her product are also involved, making it possible for ApuNena to offer the most delicious dish, with national products and Asian flavors.