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hef Pía Léon´s plate is full. Running a relatively new restaurant that barely survived a three- month closure, as well as managing projects in other cities and countries, could weigh heavily on the shoulders of a less savvy


maestra of the kitchen. But León, Peru’s first female star chef, and one of a handful of women to have “made it big” in Latin- America’s male-oriented foodie world, carries the potential burden with aplomb. Having worked with chef Virgilio


Martínez, her business – and life – partner, at his renowned restaurant Central, León then took over as head chef, and now has her own venue, Kjolle


(pronounced Koy). She’s also overseeing openings of new restaurants in Cusco, Tokyo and Moscow. And she just garnered a prestigious award from the World’s 50 Best Restaurants organization: World’s Best Female Chef of 2021. She’s on a roll. Chatting with her recently by Zoom from her home in Lima, Peru’s capital, I detected an undercurrent of anticipatory excitement. After a year of pandemic- related frustration, she and Martínez are back on track, determined to finally bring their various projects to fruition.


Peru sets the table In recent years, Peru has been enjoying a gastronomic boom. Its culinary traditions include indigenous influences, as well as impact from Spanish, Japanese and Chinese immigrants. Peruvian cooking is becoming known around the world,


and Lima is now a culinary tourism destination. Street and market foods are unparalleled, comparable in scope and quality to that of Mexico or Thailand. Creative chefs such as Gastón Acurio, Mitsuharu Tsumura, James Berckemeyer, Renzo Garibaldi, Léon and Martínez all helped put Lima on every gastronome’s list. Acurio in particular has made it his mission to share and promote Peruvian cuisine with the world, opening venues in the US, Spain, Mexico and beyond. León and Martínez will soon follow suit. Peruvian cuisine is unique in its mix of regional indigenous ingredients (myriad varieties of potatoes, quinoa, greens, fish both from the sea and Amazon), with French and Spanish cooking techniques. There are creamy chicken stews like ají de gallina, stove-top rice dishes like arroz con pato (duck with


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