Award from »Restaurant Magazine«: Peruvian named the best cook in the world

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Cook Pía León: "It's all very well thought out"

Photo: Gustavo Vivanco / dpa

The Peruvian Pía León has been voted the best cook in the world by the specialist magazine »Restaurant Magazine«.

In her Kjolle restaurant, she brings the "outstanding biological diversity of Peru" to a plate, according to the reason: fruits from the Amazon region, potatoes from the Andean highlands, and fish and seafood from the Pacific.

»We play a lot with colors, but at the same time we maintain a simple style. None of our dishes have more than four ingredients, ”said the 34-year-old after the announcement. “But it's all very well thought out. You not only eat well, you also learn something and take something with you. ”For example, beef tartare with cocoa seeds, fish with amaranth and tree bark from the Amazon and squid with lentils and capers are on the table in her restaurant. Vegetables that are lesser known to Germans, such as the yacón plant, are also among the ingredients.

León runs the Kjolle restaurant in Lima. Before that, she and her husband Virgilio Martínez made Central in the Peruvian capital one of the best restaurants in the world.

The couple has now built a true gastronomy empire with several restaurants and bars as well as their own research department for the search for new ingredients.

León was named the best female chef in Latin America in 2018.

The following year, her restaurant Kjolle rose to number 21 in the list of the 50 best restaurants in Latin America.

"I admit: I am very ambitious and tough," she says.

"When I know that I'm good at something, I give it my all."

ime / dpa