Throwback Thursday: Peru Sabe

Last week, four Peruvians chefs passed away in a car accident. These young talented people lost their life after a long day doing what they loved the most: participating in new initiatives with local producers in rural areas. Their mission was to utilize and incorporate our Andean elements into our gastronomy. It’s very sad to see people go, especially when they were so committed to such a good cause.

This brought me back to Monday June 11th when I was invited to the New York premiere of “Peru Sabe: Cuisine as an agent of change”. The event took place at the United Nations and it was hosted by one of the most well known international chefs, Ferrán Adrià and the Peruvian chef, Gastón Acurio.

It lasted approximately an hour and through every minute of it I had a mix of emotions. I laughed, I teared, but overall I felt joy, pride and some sort of hope to see what the future holds for our country, especially for the young generations who are seeking for prosperous and promising careers.

In the past years, a Peruvian Cuisine boom occurred and that brought the interest of many young people, approximately 80,000, who have put their eye on following the Gastronomy path. The number of chefs, culinary schools,  entrepreneurs, producers, restaurants and consumers have significantly increased. This is what triggered Gaston Acurio’s desire to broadcast it to the world and let everyone know that there’s something happening in our country, a culinary revolution, that if is well-handled can be a key factor on building successful opportunities for future generations.

During the Q&A Gaston explained that he needed to bring someone on board to make things happen.  He knew that, as much as he is making his way up and getting recognized by the minute, he needed a big name involved in this cause. This is how he brought the famous Ferran Adria, who happened to be in Peru last year as a guest speaker of the “Partners for Transformation” tour organized by Telefonica. During this time he learned more about the culinary boom in Peru and he decided to accept the idea of filming “Peru Sabe” along side with Acurio. They travelled around the country, Coast-Highlands-Amazon, to compile valuable content for the documentary with the main focus on portraying the gastronomic phenomenon happening in Peru.

After the screening and the Q&E, we got the chance to enjoy a Pisco & Cebiche cocktail and chat about our thoughts on “Peru Sabe”. I personally loved it, the concept of the documentary wasn’t used before. I personally felt that it shown a new face of our country, a new feeling of what it’s happening over there, the many chances of growth for young people’s careers and for our country.

I want to finish by saying that I hope this is the first of many documentaries about the Peruvian culinary revolution. I hope this serves as an inspiration to others to keep following the lead of Gaston and the late chefs, and to not forget that the main focus should be support our people, especially our young people, who have seen a new hope for their future through our delicious cuisine.

For more information on Peru Sabe: http://www.perusabe.com.pe/en/#&panel1-1