Born in Hong Kong to a Swiss-Italian father and Chinese mother, both deeply immersed in the food world, Carla spent much of her childhood in the Swiss mountains. Surrounded by nature and a culture that values resourcefulness, she developed a profound respect for food and the environment from a young age. Her mother, a pastry chef, and her father, a food engineer, taught her to cherish every ingredient.
After training at Switzerland’s prestigious EHL and Glion hospitality schools and gaining hands-on experience in banqueting, restaurants, and kitchens across Europe, she returned to Hong Kong in 2019. The contrast hit hard: a city that loves food yet wastes so much of it. In 2021, during the pandemic, she turned that realization into action and founded CHOMP.
In Hong Kong’s vibrant yet waste-heavy food scene, Carla Martinesi is proving that small, conscious choices can create beautiful ripple effects. As the Founder & CEO of CHOMP, the award-winning app rescuing delicious meals from restaurants, she’s making sustainability feel joyful, accessible, and deeply feminine.
