The wife of Lima's most famous chef goes it on her own
Working with her husband Virgilio Martínez at their restaurant Central in Lima, Pía León may just be the most famous chef you’ve never heard of. She’s spent the last decade traversing Peru’s mountains, valleys and rivers sourcing ingredients such as Amazonian pacay (ice-cream bean) for the Mater Elevations menu at Central, ranked number six in the World’s 50 Best list. But, this year – following the launch of Mil, the couple’s ambitious Andean project, 3,500 metres above sea level, as well as the relocation of Central to Lima’s hipster Barranco district – León has opened her first solo joint: Kjolle (pronounced coy-yay).
Where Central focuses on ecosystems on an altitude-by-altitude basis, here León is plating Peru her way. Her monthly-changing eight-step tasting menu fuses ingredients from all over the country, matching the Amazon jungle with the Andean high plateau. Pato curado – duck tartare – stars Pacific baby squid, crunchy onion rings and kañihua, an Andean cereal, while Muchos Tubérculos is a vibrant tart tribute to Peru’s 4,000 root vegetables. The indidivual dishes on the tasting menu can also be ordered as larger sharing platters.
This new Barranco hub is home to a cocktail bar, Mayo, too, as well as the HQ of the couple’s biological and cultural research arm, Mater Iniciativa. Some flavours will tickle taste buds for the first time, such as black mashua – a wrinkled black tuber that tastes like fermented corn juice. ‘Mater does its work, then I do mine,’ explains León. Finally, Peru’s best female chef has taken centre stage. By Sorrel Moseley-Williams
Address: Kjolle, Avenue Pedro de Osma 301, Barranco, Lima, Peru
Telephone: +51 977 476 408
Website: kjolle.com
Virgilio Martínez's new restaurant: Mil, Peru