When José “Pepe” Zapata arrived from Peru almost 25 years ago, he did not imagine that
he would make history
. And that story would be made between pots and pans. Modest, speaking slowly, today Pepe takes charge of the title that fits him:
that of example
. Because? Because this chef with a soul opened a restaurant in Barrio 31, turned it into one of the best of its style in the City, and now he fulfilled his dream: he broke the imaginary frontier and
managed to bring his cuisine to one of the most glamorous Buenos Aires neighborhoods.
.
If you make a list of the best Peruvian cuisine restaurants in Buenos Aires,
Las Palmeras has to be there
. There are no luxuries in this establishment located at Perette 580 - the main street of the Mugica neighborhood - but there is exquisite gastronomy, with quality products, traditional preparations, careful presentations and
an unbeatable price-quality ratio
.
What there is, in the motto that completes the name, is
a cuisine with a cause
. Not only the Peruvian cause, the emblematic dish of that country, but a cause that Pepe embraced as a chef and that is the one that now - in this path that began as an immigrant, brought him to 31 when it was a town and turned it into a successful entrepreneur-- wants to continue at
Las Palmeras, Cocina con Causa de Las Cañitas
: love and passion for cooking and fidelity to what one believes.
José now spends day and night at the
Soldado de la Independencia 1073
location , where the branch of a famous pizza chain that moved previously operated. The official opening takes place at the beginning of April, but since February 9 the restaurant has been operational, still adjusting details. “It's been working well,” the cook enthuses.
To understand
the value of Las Palmeras also being in the
mainstream
gastronomic circuit , we must review the history of Zapata, who was already cooking in his native Peru. There he also worked as a waiter and studied electricity and accounting. But his thing was always cooking. When he came to Argentina, at the end of the 90s, he opened with his brother César the first Las Palmeras in Hipólito Yrigoyen at 700. The crisis of 2001 came and he took it with him.
Pepe at the door of his new restaurant in Las Cañitas. Photo Emmanuel Fernandez
A resident of Barrio 31, about nine years ago a friend convinced him to rent a place. Pepe opened on Perette Street, before the urbanization process began in the then town. At first it was difficult, because people in the neighborhood thought it was an expensive place. He removed the tablecloths from the tables and the neighbors began to enter.
The inauguration of the Ministry of Education
filled the noons with customers
, word of mouth began, the Barrio Mugica Integration program of the Buenos Aires Government organized pop ups in the restaurant with prestigious chefs such as Pedro Peña from Niño Gordo, and the fame of Las Palmeras grew exponentially, to the point that diners arrive from outside the neighborhood and sometimes
you have to wait to get a table
.
With success, the possibility of opening a Las Palmeras in another neighborhood arose. That was always Zapata's dream, as he had told in the Clarín Revolución Gourmet Special in Las Villas. But the investor who wanted to bring it to Puerto Madero also wanted the restaurant to change its name.
The chef refused.
Pepe in Las Palmeras del Barrio 31. Photo Juano Tesone / Archive
The opportunity now came through a couple of Argentine friends of Susana, his wife. They started looking for a location and found this one in Las Cañitas that they liked. Thus, José, Susana, Nahuel and Maiara are the four partners behind the first branch of Las Palmeras Cocina con Causa.
Pepe says that he invested savings, borrowed money, bought the tables, chairs and the rest of the equipment ahead of time ("I bought a lot before the elections, because we knew what was coming") and so,
as always, at his leisure, Opened
.
A little ahead of time, “to cover some expenses because we couldn't do it anymore. We are finishing some things that we had pending. We just got approval for the deck and we are putting in the wood.”
In his new restaurant, Zapata added risottos and more fish to the menu. Photo Emmanuel Fernandez
Now he wants to become known in this neighborhood as well and have
his new neighbors come visit him
. He says that the menu is basically the same as in Retiro (there are their fabulous ceviches and causas), but with some adjustments to the area. “We add risottos and we have a little better fishing,” he details. There is also a bar with
signature and classic
cocktails , and of course lots of Peruvian pisco.
Prices? Pepe says that
he did a market analysis
with the Peruvian restaurants that he marks as his competition, among which are some also recognized as the best in the City, to offer
a competitive proposal
.
Ceviche, a Las Palmeras classic. Photo Emmanuel Fernandez
And it lists: the ceviche is $16,000; the sautéed loin, $18,000; the chaufa, $12,500; a signature cocktail, around $8,000. In Barrio Mugica, due to the cost logic of the location,
the dishes are cheaper
.
It is open every day from 12 to 24. It is already designing marketing strategies to attract customers, such as
after office
and
ladies night
. “Now what we want is for people to get to know us and then expand our menu, with new dishes and a menu of different steps like other chefs in Peru do,” enthuses José, who is a project plant: he already has in mind open another restaurant,
a Peruvian chicken shop and barbecue
.
In the bar. The Las Cañitas location has a signature cocktail proposal. Photo Emmanuel Fernandez
But when he stops to look back, he concedes that this inauguration is a very important achievement for him. And he knows that it is also
a message for his thousands of neighbors in Barrio 31
.
“I left Peru with many desires to improve. As time went by, I realized that I could achieve many things for my family and for the neighborhood as well. There are many who have that desire to learn... They have to think:
'If he could, why can't I?'
”.
And he closes about his new restaurant: “It is an example that things can be achieved with
effort, work and perseverance
. It is a dream that I have fulfilled so far and we continue to move forward to see if we can continue fulfilling dreams.”
ACE