PÍA LEÓN
green rice) and asado de carne (barbecue grilled and smoked in steel drums) to name a few. There is the influence of Asia: the Japanese community in Peru is the largest outside Japan – Peruvian ceviches are first cousins to Japanese preparations of raw fish – unique in Latin American cooking. And there is the Chinese influence: every Peruvian from a very young age, has eaten chifa (Peru’s name for simple, westernized Chinese cooking) There seems to be a chifa restaurant on every corner, serving up mountains of aeropuerto, (smoky fried rice and noodles with an assortment of meats or fish), so named because “everything lands there.”
A chef from the get-go
Maria Pía León (she later dropped Maria) was born in Lima in 1986. She describes her family life as happy, centered around
meals and cooking. “We ate typical Peruvian home food, a mix of European, Chinese and Japanese influenced dishes,” she recalls. Fascinated with cooking as far back as she can remember, she loved helping her mother and grandmother cook and bake: “We all enjoyed being in the kitchen, sharing meals; I always wanted to be a chef,” she says. She began her studies at the Le Cordon Bleu in Lima. At that time, most Peruvians looked to Europe for culinary excellence, ignoring the vast riches of their own country. Much like in Mexico and other Latin American countries; everything thought to be “good” was Spanish or French. There were decent chefs in Peru before, she points out, “but it was Gastón who was the great inspiration to all of us – he opened our eyes. And those of the world. We
Peruvians had long ignored what we have: unique produce and distinctive cooking techniques. I had to travel outside the country to fully appreciate what is so special about what we have. I believe that today we have turned history around and put that value on a lot of things at home.” León is particularly attracted to Nikkei – the fusion of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine as brought to the fore by the renowned chef Mitsuharu ‘Micha’ Tsumura, of Lima’s Maido. A few years ago, she traveled to Japan and was surprised by the simplicity, yet sophistication of its cooking. It is obvious that she has incorporated this philosophy into her menu at Kjolle.
She began her professional career at El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain and Astrid y Gastón in her home town, eventually landing a gig in Central,
From far left: León’s restaurant Kjolle; she is passionate about indigenous produce; a dish from the Kjolle menu contains five ingredients, maximum
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