Peru’s Plans for Global (Foodie) Conquest

Would Americans ever eat guinea pig? Gastón Acurio thinks so, and he should know. The classically trained Peruvian chef, who is so renowned in his home country that he goes by only his first name, owns more than a dozen restaurants in Lima–including the cevichería La Mar and the high-end flagship Astrid y Gastón–which have helped turn the gray capital into a legitimate destination for gourmets. The “next great food city,” said Bon Appétit magazine of Lima earlier this year. And now–like Mario, Emeril and Wolfgang before him–Gastón wants to take his empire global. His aim is to make Peruvian cuisine (including roasted guinea pig, or cuy, a national staple) as familiar around the world as Mexican, Chinese or Thai.

In September 2008, Acurio established a foothold in North America, opening La Mar Cebichería in San Francisco, which specializes in Peru’s signature dish, ceviche (fish or other seafood marinated in lime juice with chilies, onions and cilantro). La Mar was an instant hit–one small step for Acurio and a bigger leap for Peru, where globalization of the local cuisine is considered a national interest. “Mexico got jalapeños and tequila on shelves in stores in the U.S., with food leading the way,” says Luis Kiser, head of the Peruvian Franchise Chamber–so why not Peruvian potatoes and pisco?

Peru is now a consistent presence at all major gastronomic fairs and since the 1990s has seen an explosion of cooking schools, including a Cordon Bleu academy opened in 2000, that have trained thousands of students in the art of haute Peruvian cooking–novoandina, as it’s called. (Famed Japanese superchef Nobu Matsuhisa spent formative years cooking in Lima, as evidenced by the ceviches and tiraditos, or sashimi-style ceviches without onions, that pepper his menus.) If nothing else, perhaps, Peruvians’ remarkable passion for eating may be enough to seduce international foodies. “A Peruvian will walk around in a pair of old shoes and then go and eat a fantastic ceviche. They revere their cuisine,” says nuevo-Latino chef Douglas Rodriguez, who owns pan-Latin restaurants in Miami, Philadelphia and Scottsdale, Ariz.

Peruvian flavors are not exactly alien outside South America. Immigrant-centric eateries have been serving traditional Peruvian fare–dishes like lomo saltado (beef sautéed with onions, chilies, cilantro, tomatoes and potatoes) for decades in Latin neighborhoods in California, South Florida, Texas and the greater New York City area. But novoandina cuisine of the sort purveyed by Acurio and others like John and Doris Rodriguez de Platt, owners of Andina in Portland, Ore.–think quinoa-crusted diver scallops and meticulously layered causas (terrines of yellow, purple and pink potatoes stuffed with seafood, meat or vegetables)–is a somewhat newer phenomenon, at least on the global menu.

Peruvian expansionism is creeping ever onward: Astrid y Gastón operates in eight countries, while La Mar is open in six. But that is just the beginning. Acurio sees New York City as the real launching pad for international success. “If we make it in New York, we will be ready to green-light all our brands,” says the chef, who is scoping the city for real estate.

As for getting the world to tuck into cuy or anticuchos (marinated beef-heart skewers), all we can say is that there was a time Americans turned up their noses at a raw-fish dish called sushi.