Manuela Filippou: Change doesn't wear a watch. I have personally never owned a watch. Thats a symbol of how I live.

Just a handful of people have actively and wholeheartedly supported Karakterre in its beginnings. Being non-Austrian, obscure Balkanites to the local community, bringing the show into Vienna was quite a challenge. We had our ups and downs, navigating a city we didn’t really know. Manuela and Konstantin Filippou (her a marketing professional, him a Greek-Austrian chef) opened O Boufes, the city’s first natural wine bistro, in 2015, a year after our first festival there. The couple created a bistro-like relaxed experience in a relatively monotonous capital when it came to eating out. Yeah, the city was a global cultural center. It was also a global gastronomic stranger to anyone not craving a schnitzel or Wachau gruener.

O Boufes gave the Austrian capital the much-needed injection, a cocktail of tasty, modern, ingredient-driven, natural, and cool. It supported the local natural winegrowers when rarely anyone in the city did. Paris was its inspiration, yet to date, it remained with a distinct Viennese soul. It was a great addition to the couple’s flagship fine dining, Konstantin Filippou, opened in 2013.

Manuela (and Konstantin) was one of those people that supported Karakterre from day one. She did so even after our fiasco of overbooking O Boufes with hungry winegrowers for a post-Karakterre party in 2016. (Some of the growers had to opt for across the road for pizza, as O Boufes overflowed with people. The bistro team was legitimately not happy, to say the least.) We learned a lot from that night. O Boufes has remained a Karakterre, as well as my personal base, ever since. It’s a sort of my own Cheers TV show moment.

(Just recently, the couple opened Mama Konstantina, a chef’s table and modern Greek-inspired deli format, a lovely high-quality neuheit to Vienna’s developing scene. There was great energy at Mama recently as they hosted Lyle’s James Lowe. Sadly, I could not stay for dinner, but came to say hi to both teams prepping. Mama Konstantina will be one of the vendors of this year’s Karakterre in May, catering to the event’s hungry wine tasters.)

Manuela remains one of the strongest people I know and a rare person I would trust any time of day or night. Manuela was an obvious choice for Karakterre Conversations.

Hey Manuela, great to have you with us. Thank you for finding the time in your busy schedule. Let’s go. What are you most proud of?

Of being a strong woman, a loving mother, a hard working entrepreneur. Of trying, struggling, falling and getting up on my feet again every single day. Of trying to make a change.

52 places to visit in 2024 by The New York Times. One of the world’s most liveable cities by The Economist. What is it about Vienna?

Vienna is all about 'us'. About all these great humans moving here from all parts of Austria or other places in the world, trying to make a change. In all possible ways. Look at our art scene - extraordinary museums, so many of them run by great women. So many great theaters, off places, concert halls. Unbelievable high quality when it comes to restaurants, cafes, winebars, wine makers, coffee roasters, bakeries, producer of great produce. And fashion and music - all these places run by the greatest people.

Even though it is super hard to overcome Austrian bureaucracy, people want to be the change - these people shape our city. Plus, we highly appreciate the work of the Viennese Tourist Board. They make a great job and spread the word.

Vienna wasn’t the most dynamic of food cities a decade back when you were starting up. Together with Konstantin, you shook the scene and have pioneered innovative concepts that have reshaped the city landscape. And you yourself weren’t even in the food business before (but in marketing)! How did you keep the faith to go forward?

Many people still don't consider a working day is ending after 6 or 8 hours. Change doesn't wear a watch. I have personally never in my life owned a watch. Thats a symbol of how I live. And that also goes for Konstantin.

When time doesn't really matter but only the vision, great things can happen. But usually they don't happen between 9 and 5. Also, all of the Change Makers here unite in the fact that they have travelled the world. I believe that travelling is the best education for 'doing your own thing'. When you are open for change, you can reshape your own world - and open it for others. That is not a job. It's a lifetime desicion.

How do you cultivate your community?

We are trying to keep at the pulse of time. We never rest. We never 'consider it done'. We never stop. We stimulate our community with new ideas and experiments and let them take part in what we think is great gastronomy and hospitality.

Cultures collaborate more than ever. Music x Wine. Sports x Fashion. Food x Theatre. Where do you see the crossroads of previously strictly defined cultural aspects? Do you and how do you find your way within them?

We see no borders. Everything is possible. As long as you don't do it half-hearted. Love it all. And love to be a part of it.

Whatever we do, we need to feel either it’s good for our business, it’s great fun, it brings us forward and unites us with great humans. Ideally, it's all four.

How do you keep healthy?

I sleep a lot. I am (unfortunately) always the first one leaving the party. But I could not handle my workload otherwise. I don't drink a lot. I work out a lot. I take care of my mental health. I eat healthy. I spend as much time with my daughter and family as possible. That keeps me sane.

Here’s a gallery of a Summer meal at O Boufes ☝️. Delicious! Manuela, one place you could eat at right now, anywhere in the world?

There's two.

Eating my homemade sandwich, sitting at the edge of Grand Canyon at 5am, only to see a silent explosion of colours as the sun rises. Or having a meal with our dear friends in Axpe, Asador Etxebarri, my all time favourite place in the world.

The Viennese würstelstand of your choice?

Alles Wurscht at Börseplatz. There is a playground that I am visiting frequently with my daughter. After we have exhausted ourselves there, we usually have a small meal there and watch the International crowd swinging by.

What do you not have in life yet?

The feeling that I am done. Other than that, I have everything else I need to be happy.

Your next big things is…

It’s not big, maybe, but fun. I can't really cook. But I can brunch. So I asked my husband to make a brunch with me at Restaurant Mama Konstantina. And he said yes 😇 A new try, I am really looking forward to it. Our friend Mia Legenstein will be at the turntables, playing chilly Greek beach music.

That was great. Thanks, Manuela. Say hi to the family for me, please.

Marko