Review
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Featured on the Netflix documentary series Chef's Table
As featured in Bon Appetit, Bloomberg Pursuits, Domino, Food &
Wine, Four, La Repubblica, Lucky Peach, Saveur, Vogue, and Wine
Enthusiast, and on New Worlder and Vice Munchies; as heard on
Heritage Radio and WBUR - On Point, Boston
"For hundreds of years, Peruvian biodiversity has been a hidden
treasure of thousands of unique ingredients. Today, in the
Peruvian , deserts, Andes, Altiplano, and all of their
ecosystems, some ingredients, like quinoa and native cacao, are
already traveling all over the world. A small group of chefs
wanted to explore deeper than ever the potentials of each
ingredient, each environment of Peru-listening, smelling,
touching, learning-with a style of cooking that was absolutely
modern, unique, and Peruvian. Leading the creativity of this
young and free generation of chefs is Virgilio Martínez. If you
want to discover Peru and its treasures in its most modern
version, to feel our unique biodiversity, to celebrate our
multicultural society, and to taste the soul of young Peruvians
proud of their culture, this book is the perfect way to do it. In
Central, Virgilio will take you on a journey, from the Pacific
Ocean to the high Andes, discovering the magic of the ingredients
of Peru."―tón Acurio of Astrid & tón (Lima, Peru)
"Central is about Virgilio's desire to tell the story of a
collective wish from a individual pulse, and of a passion that
comes from history. His book features a strike of authority
achieved through culture and creativity."―Andoni Luis Aduriz of
Mugaritz (San Sebastian, Spain)
"Virgilio Martínez doesn't settle with what is already in
everyone's imagination about Peruvian cuisine. He is a chef who
looks deeply into the unknown, into the forgotten and rejected to
find a different way to embrace his culture. Virgilio brings to
light another side of Peruvian culinary culture, one inspired by
Big Nature: the vast landscape and diverse terrain of this unique
place. He is a keen observer who isn't afraid to open his kitchen
to the unknown. Virgilio forges not one path to understanding
Peruvian cuisine but many, and from this research and
determination, he is giving back to Peru centuries of ancestral
wisdom through fine dining."―Massimo Bottura of Osteria
Francescana (Modena, Italy)
"We believe that what we do in our kitchens is to create beauty
as the legacy for future generations. This is what Virgilio's
work in Central communicates - and we know the readers will feel
this emotion."―Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn (San Francisco,
United States)
"What Virgilio and his team at Central have created is an
entirely new lexicon of cuisine, while maintaining the ancient
traditions, the beauty, and the integrity of the cooking of his
land."―Carlo Mirarchi of Blanca (New York City, United States)
"Central is a testament of passion, integrity, and knowledge - a
generous gift of sharing with others. Through Virgilio's food I
learned so much about the culture and people of Peru, but most of
all, I learned this importance of others and the richness of
endless discoveries. This is a very special book and Virgilio is
an outstanding human being." ―Joan, Josep & Jordi Roca of El
Celler de Can Roca (Girona, Spain)
"Features food photography worthy of a modern-art gallery wall
and exquisite signature recipes from the famed restaurant."―Plate
From the Back Cover
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The extraordinary cuisine of Peruvian chef Virgilio Martinez,
one of the most admired emerging talents in the culinary world