Lima restaurant Gaston y Astrid The spotlight shined brightly on Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio whose Lima restaurant Gaston y Astrid was named the best in Latin America Wednesday night. After being given the lifetime achievement award for his cooking career earlier this summer, Acurio managed to snatch the top spot at the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants awards to cement his position as culinary giant.
Regarded as a national hero in Peru, Acurio enjoys rock star status for nearly single-handedly sparking a cultural revolution centered on his country\'s culinary heritage -- a tradition which was on the brink of becoming obsolete in the face of American influences.
He also runs a cooking school for the underprivileged, the Pachacutec Institute located in the Peruvian slums.
Restaurant magazine editors, who organized the event, describe his flagship Astrid y Gaston restaurant in Lima as the best expression of the charismatic chef himself, with a menu that can be characterized by a sort of “culinary whimsy,” they said.
Take for example the restaurant’s Peking guinea pig: “Tired of being rejected by the world, the guinea pig decides to disguise itself as a Peking duck, dressed with rocoto and purple corn crepe. It got a standing ovation from everyone,” reads the menu description.
Dishes are a hybrid of indigenous Peruvian ingredients like huacatay and aji chili pepper and global flavors, to reflect the country’s dining landscape. Described by some as the gastronomic capital of Latin America for its successful cross-pollination of Peruvian and Asian flavors, Acurio’s win is also poised to hoist Lima onto the international culinary stage.
Influences from Asian diasporas have created whole genres of cuisines in Peru such as Nikkei -- Japanese and Peruvian -- and Chifa -- Chinese and Peruvian.
Acurio’s restaurant empire spans the world with 30 eateries across Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Spain and the US. Astrid y Gaston is ranked 14th on the World’s 50 Best list.
Close at his heels, meanwhile, chef Alex Atala of D.O.M. in Sao Paulo came in second on the Latin America’s 50 Best list, followed by Pujol in Mexico City; Central in Lima; and Mani in Sao Paulo.
Restaurant magazine launched the inaugural edition of the Latin America\'s 50 Best Restaurants awards this year after likewise organizing a similar event for Asia in February. Topping the World\'s 50 Best Restaurants list, meanwhile, is El Celler De Can Roca in Spain.
Source: Relaxnews