Estela Lopes Felipe lives by a simple philosophy: “Do what you love, with love, and it’ll lead you to the right place.” So far, it’s served her well.
Hailing from São Paulo, Brazil, Felipe developed an early love for pastry and desserts, thanks to her Italian grandmother—an influence that also instilled a deep appreciation for the patience and precision that perfectly delicate pastries demand.
After culinary school in Brazil, Felipe went to France—first to Lyon for eight months of advanced pastry study, then six months at The Ritz in Paris. In 2017, she made the move to New York, where she interned as a pastry cook under renowned chef Daniel Boulud at his eponymous restaurant. While in New York, she met and married fellow chef Joe Milenkovic.
Three years later, the pandemic shuttered the restaurant industry almost overnight. Felipe and Milenkovic left New York for Florida, where his parents lived, keeping busy making and selling homemade pasta and pies to friends and neighbors.
After years in major cities, the appeal of a smaller, tight-knit community was hard to ignore. With New York firmly in the rearview mirror, the couple looked to Chattanooga—a city they'd visited before through Milenkovic's extended family—and made it their home later that year.
The pair quickly made their mark on Chattanooga’s culinary scene. Milenkovic joined the team at Easy Bistro, while Felipe worked her way up from pastry cook to pastry chef at Niedlov's Breadworks & Café—a role she held for four and a half years.
At Niedlov’s, Felipe built lasting relationships with colleagues and collaborators and brought her own touch to the menu, infusing creations with the flavors and influences she grew up with. She's quick to share the credit. "It's a team effort,” she says. “Everyone works together, and multiple people are involved in the recipes and creations.”
That collaborative spirit is matched by a relentless drive to improve. "I'm always thinking about how to make things better," Felipe says. Now, she's carrying this mindset into her most ambitious project yet.
Five years after arriving in Chattanooga, Felipe and Milenkovic are opening a restaurant of their own. Bona Fide—Latin for “in good faith”—is the brain child of Felipe and Milenkovic, and friends and industry veterans Garth Poe, Rachel Holland, and Jared Padovani. Milenkovic will step in as executive chef; Lopes will head up the pastry program; Poe and Holland will lead the beverage program; and Padovani will serve as Project Manager. The vision, Felipe says, is "fun, funky, all of our personalities fused into one place."
On the food side, Felipe and Milenkovic let the seasons lead the way, sourcing as locally as possible and building the menu around what's fresh and available. Expect sophisticated pasta dishes and, of course, standout desserts from Felipe herself. Rounding out the experience is an extensive beverage program: cocktails, non-alcoholic options, and a curated wine list.
When asked what excites her most about opening Bona Fide, Felipe says, "Legacy, to build something for me and my family." It's about thinking long-term, about what she and her partners will bring to Chattanooga, to their families, to the people who walk through the door. "We want to help the community, create something awesome, and contribute something new and different to the culinary scene here."
Looking back over her career, Felipe sees the through-line clearly. "Follow your heart and trust the process,” she says. “Every choice I made brought me closer to where I am."
For a chef who has always followed her love of the craft, it looks like exactly the right place.