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Chef Saravia currently offers A Taste of Peru, a 7 course degustation dinner showcasing a modern take on Peruvian cuisine at The Lincoln in Kings Cross ($115pp).
Dinner dates: This Wednesday July 28th and Thursday July 29th 2010.
For bookings call Coral at 0413624840 or email coral@peruvianconcept.com

Q: How did your journey start? I did my culinary school in Peru when I was 16 and went to New York to get experience in the kitchen for 6 months and came back to Peru. I was working in Johnson & Johnson as Brand Manager in Peru, and one day I realized that I missed the kitchen too much. I missed my passion. I left Peru looking for new flavors and culinary experience, and I ended up in Barcelona (Spain) working in a renowned Peruvian Restaurant. One year later I flew to Paris, where I worked for 8 months at Le Ambassadors, learning some of the secrets of French cuisine. I then went to London, and got an internship at the Fat Duck and I found myself prepping in Heston Blumenthal´s kitchen. My six months in Fat Duck were hard and intense, but they opened my mind to new cooking techniques and to the understanding of ingredients, textures, colors and aromas. I arrived in Australia on New Year’s Eve 2006 and I went to every market, deli, small goods store and restaurant to learn about the different cultural influences in the Australian food business to add my own Peruvian vision to the melting pot of cultures which is Australia.

Q: Can you talk us through the Peruvian Gastronomy Concept? Peruvian cuisine is one of the best kept food secrets in South America. It is well known for its exquisite taste, its variety and ability to incorporate influences from different times and cultures. Peru's three regions, the Coast, the Andean Sierra, and the Amazon jungle, together with the rich variety of wild fish and seafood harvested from the Pacific Ocean, have made Peruvian cuisine an important expression of its culture, as revered as Peru's ceramics, textiles, art, music and literature. The culinary history of Peruvian food dates back to the Pre-Incan and Incan times when the staple diet consisted of maize, potatoes, aji and fish. This was later influenced by the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. I am interested in offering a fusion of Peruvian recipes and local ingredients, combining traditional cooking techniques with haute cuisine while at the same time keeping our roots, and therefore creating a stylish new Peruvian cuisine, that will allow the local palate enjoy the new flavors and cooking techniques. 


Q: Are there chefs or restaurant concepts you admire? Recently I have been reading about Jose Mari Arzak’s and the new Vasque cuisine. He is considered the father of this style. He transfroms traditional dishes using daily ingredients with different cooking processes, imagination and art.

Q: What is food to you? Cooking involves all of our senses, someone said, “We are what we eat” but in my case I like to think that “We eat what we are”. Food for me is a way to express myself. I have been discovered food and the secrets around it in many ways, through studying cookery, working in kitchens, learning from chefs, reading about history of food, but there is a place where everything started, and that is my grandmother´s kitchen. All those aromas, flavors, images stay in my memory. It’s a passion, it’s a way to express how I see things, and in the way I like to share with people that enjoy food.

Q: How do you describe the flavours and taste of Peru? Peru's three regions, Coast, Andean Sierra, and the Amazon jungle, together with the rich variety of wild fish and seafood harvested from the Pacific Ocean give you an uncountable mix of sensations. With the dishes that I create I want people to feel Peru as I feel it- every small market with women selling Anticuchos,; the fresh air of Machupichu or Lake Titicaca... Peruvian gastronomy is a lifestyle for Peruvians and that’s what I want to share.

Q: Can you talk us through the history behind one of your favourite things on the menu?

Pacha Pacha means ‘earth’ in Quechua dialect, and is my interpretation of Peru´s land treasures. At miy degustation dinners I combine three Andean Peruvian signature dishes, all of them from the earth and with his particular touch to make you appreciate the colors, textures and flavours of The Mother Earth.

Huancaína mille-feuille Huancaína mille-feuille is my personal vision of one of the most famous Peruvian entreés: Papa a la Huancaína. The history behind this dish goes back to the times when the railroad from Lima to the mountain area was being constructed. A number of people were working in very hard conditions. Women from the Huancayan would provide the workers with meals. One day, one woman from Hauncayo brought nice potatoes with a delicious cheese-based sauce and some hard-boiled egg pieces. The sauce consisted of crushed cheese mixed with minced rocoto (Peruvian pepper). The dish was a hit and the workers would look forward to this woman’s arrival every day calling out:  “A qué hora llega la papa de la Huancaína” (What time does the Huancayan’s potato arrive?) The recipe has changed slightly throughout the years. Rocoto was replaced for ají (Peruvian chili) and oil began to be included in the preparation, but there’s one thing that has never changed- the popularity of the dish.

Andean corn tamal w/ grilled halloumi
Tamal comes from the word tamalii from the Nahuatl (Aztec language). The meaning is “wrapped food” and this is the principal characteristic of the dish, a dough made from corn with different fillings, and wrapped in corn husks or leaves before cooking. No one knows for sure when or who invented the tamal but tamales are wide-spread through Latin and South America and every country has its own Tamal. Peruvian tamales tend to be spicy, wrapped in banana leaves. Common fillings are chicken, pork, or cheese and usually accompanied by boiled eggs, olives, peanuts or a piece of chili pepper. At the current degustation dinners, tamal is served with grilled halloumi, a salty cheese creating a delightful combination.

Q: What’s the secret to making memorable Peruvian cuisine? Every time we organize an "A taste of PERú" cooking class or a degustation night its a special event in my calendar. I get the chance to meet my guests, explain my vision and the different flavors that they experience. At the degustation nights, each dish is a personal approach to the region where it comes from, having travelled around Peru and experienced their different styles of cuisine. I share these memories in each dish that I create. There is history behind every dish in Peruvian cuisine, and I try to keep that alive while adapting my recipes for an Australian palate.

Q: What’s Sydney’s best-kept secret (outside of your business)? Sydney’s local markets, where you can talk with producers and suppliers. I particularly enjoy Flemington market. Going to the markets is a nice way to start a creative day in a kitchen, looking for new ideas and products, talking with suppliers and sometimes well known chefs that are looking for their own inspiration.

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