ABOUT Chef Paula Endara
Chef Paula Endara
A James Beard Foundation bootcamp alum originally from Quito, Ecuador, chef and mixologist Paula Endara has been in the hospitality industry for 13+ years. Chef Paula has specialized in avant-garde cuisine at the Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastián, Spain, worked at a nomad restaurant concept in Quito in collaboration with Amazonian farmers, and founded Roots Restaurant in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Cuisine
Throughout all of these endeavors, she has focused on identity, culture, and sustainability while advocating for community-centered sourcing and improving local food systems. Now at The Manchester in Lexington, Kentucky, she leads the culinary charge at two restaurants: Granddam, the flagship restaurant featuring culturally inspired Bluegrass Cuisine, and Lost Palm, the rooftop drinking parlor that boasts an impressive array of Latin inspired share plates. Chef Paula continues to focus efforts today on her same core values as Executive Chef at the Gold Key Award-winning upscale hotel.
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The chef and owner of Roots Restaurant in Jonesboro, Paula Endara Lowe is not unfamiliar with pushing through adversity. Lowe has worked in every position known in the restaurant industry, completed her culinary studies through financial struggles thrown her way, and fights every day to bring awareness to her son’s rare condition known as Moebius syndrome. Through it all, Lowe lives each day to the fullest and truly believes that anything is possible.
The Manchester
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James Beard Foundation bootcamp alum Paula Endara, a chef and mixologist from Quito, Ecuador, has over 13 years in the hospitality industry. She trained in avant-garde cuisine at the Basque Culinary Center in Spain, co-led a nomadic restaurant in Quito with Amazonian farmers, and founded Roots Restaurant in Arkansas.
Now Executive Chef at The Manchester in Lexington, Kentucky, she oversees Granddam, featuring culturally inspired Bluegrass Cuisine, and Lost Palm, a Latin-inspired rooftop bar. Committed to identity, culture, and sustainability, she continues to advocate for community-focused sourcing.
Catch Chef Paula on Top Chef
Season 22, premiering March 13th on Bravo!
https://themanchesterky.com/chef-paula-endara/
Top Chef
ay-Intriquing WOMEN
Top Chef
James Beard Foundation Bootcamp alum Paula Endara began her culinary career in her home country of Ecuador at 18 years old. A 13-year veteran of the industry, she has built an impressive resume that includes specializing in avant-garde cuisine at the Basque Culinary Center, working at a nomad restaurant concept in Quito where she collaborated with Amazonian farmers, to opening her restaurant Roots in Arkansas that blended her Ecuadorian flavors with fresh local ingredients. Passionate about sustainability and strengthening the community-driven food infrastructure, Paula uses regional ingredients to showcase her cultural heritage through her unique, inventive dishes. She currently resides in Lexington, KY, where she’s the executive chef of the Bluegrass-inspired Granddam and Lost Palm, a rooftop parlor featuring tropical-infused Latin bites and cocktails located at the Gold Key Awarding-winning boutique The Manchester.
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LEX TODAY
The Manchester
In case you missed it, Chef Paula Endara, the culinary mind behind Granddam + Lost Palm, will appear on Season 22 of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” which premieres this Thursday, March 13 at 9 p.m.
To celebrate the start of the show + cheer on Chef Paula, you’re invited to a Watch Party in the Granddam Lounge on Thursday from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Before we get into the Q+A about her experience filming the show in Canada, here’s a little bit more about Chef Paula.
- Originally from Ecuador + just turned 32 last Saturday.
- Growing up she had plans to study music, but while on sabbatical started working in restaurants and realized cuisine is her passion.
- Her path to Lexington included opening a restaurant in Arkansas where she honed her Southern + Creole cooking skills.
- While she has dreams of one day opening a restaurant in Washington DC, she feels at home + thankful to be in Lexington.
Read more here
The Manchester
The Manchester
Join us each week starting March 13th to cheer on our very own, @chefpaulaendara, as she takes on Season 22 of @bravotopchef. We’ll be streaming the show in both Lost Palm & the Granddam Lounge and getting a taste of a featured recipe from the show. #BravoTopChef #TeamPaulaTopChef#TheManchesterKY
https://www.instagram.com/p/DHHDl-YtXpF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Fox 56
Fox 56
Lexington chef competes on newest season of 'Top Chef'
Paula Endara will be featured on the newest season of "Top Chef." Endara spoke with FOX 56's Vasi Prokos about her experience and more.
https://fox56news.com/video/lexington-chef-competes-on-newest-season-of-top-chef/10552150/
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LIVE FROM CHEVY CHASE
Chef Paula Endara
From the Manchester Hotel all the way to Top Chef! Chef Paula Endara joins Tam & Leigh in the CC Kitchen to give us a taste of the meals that inspire her.
Lexington Herald Leader
Meet Paula Endara, the Ecuadoran chef representing Lexington on TV show ‘Top Chef’
How did a chef from Ecuador end up on “Top Chef” representing Kentucky? “It’s a funny story,” said Paula Endara, who will make her reality show debut March 13 on Bravo’s cooking competition show.
Endara, a native of the capital city of Quito, did not originally plan to be a chef at all.
“I was a singer,” she said. She wanted to study music and started working in a restaurant to make money for college during a sabbatical. “Then I loved it, and my passion became food and hospitality. So I switched gears,” she said. She still sings, just not professionally. “I think I made the right choice,” she said with a laugh.
Read more at: https://www.kentucky.com/entertainment/tv-movies/article301134494.html#storylink=cpy