Gastón Acurio Jaramillo is a Peruvianchef and ambassador of Peruvian cuisine. He owns several restaurants throughout multiple countries and is the author of several books. In Peru, he is the host of his own television program and contributes to a few culinary magazines.
Life
Gastón Acurio Jaramillo is the only son of Gastón Acurio Velarde, a notable politician of Acción Popular party and Senator in the 1980s, and Jesusa Jaramillo Razuri. He has four older sisters. Acurio studied law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. He studied cooking at the Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where he met his future wife Astrid Gutsche, who was originally from Germany. In 1994, he returned to Peru with his new knowledge on international cuisine and applied it at a gourmet level to Peruvian cuisine, contributing to the development of the so-called Cocina Novoandina. Acurio is currently recognized as one of the most important chefs in the world. He has two daughters with his wife Astrid: Ivalú and Kiara.
Acurio has helped establish Peruvian cuisine and offers typical Peruvian meals in a modern and attractive style. His restaurant franchises focus on a specific category of Peruvian cuisine. Together with his wife Astrid, he managed the restaurant franchiseAstrid & Gastón since 1994. It opened in the district of Miraflores in Lima and expanded in Latin America and recently in Europe, opening restaurants in Santiago de Chile, Bogotá, Quito, Caracas, Mexico City, all South America and Europe. In 2018, Acurio was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. Acurio also has a restaurant in Chicago called Tanta. The confectionery and pralinerie was opened in 2003. Tanta comes from Quechua and it means meeting. Café del Museo lies in the art-historical Larco Museum in Lima. The Café was arranged by the architect Jordi Puig. La Mar is a cevichería in Lima specializing in Peruvian seafood. This restaurant also opened in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Panama, Argentina, and many other countries. The latest La Mar Cebicheria opened in November 2018 in Doha, Qatar at the stunning beachfront location of InterContinental® Doha, marking its debut in the Middle East region. In late 2006, Acurio was also involved in the development of Pasquale Hnos., a fast food restaurant focused on Peruvian sandwiches, traditionally known as sanguches. Initially well received, this franchise did not fulfill Acurio's vision and he decided to walk out of the project. Panchita, a Peruvian anticuchería opened in Summer 2009 in Miraflores, Lima. Madam Tusan, a chifa. Tusan is a term for a Chinese emigrant used in China and in Peruvian Spanish it was adapted to mean Chinese person. This restaurant franchise opened in 2011 and has locations in Lima and Santiago de Chile. Planned franchises include:
Los Bachiche, a Peruvian-Italian restaurant, set to open May 2012.
Super Chicha, a restaurant which will include all Peruvian regional cuisine.
Gringacho, a gastrobar with pisco cocktails and appetizers.
Macambo, a chocolate restaurant.
La Chingana, a hamburger restaurant.
Other franchises to be launched by Gastón Acurio are:
Astrid y Gastón Café, a casual version of Astrid y Gastón which will open in Cuzco and Trujillo.
La Pollada & Company, a Peruvian pollería in fast-food format which will attempt to promote worldwide the Peruvian pollo a la brasa .
La Corralada, a Peruvian premium polleria.
Nativa, a boutique hotel chain which will focus on Peruvian culture and will be based on Acurio's franchises.
Papas & Salsas, a Peruvian papas rellenas restaurant.
Barrio, a Peruvian criolla cuisine restaurant.
Cegal, a gastronomic university in Lima.
In development:
Pecano, a Peruvian dulceria and deluxe café, based on the Havanna concept.
Yoshi, a nikkei restaurant.
Yoshi & Ricci, an Italian-Japanese restaurant.
Pochita, a Peruvian fast-food anticucheria, based on Panchita.
Chilca, a Peruvian ice-cream store.
Malandro Bar, a concept bar.
Diverxo, a supermarket based on the Wong concept, with the addition of a gastronomy school, own products, and a food court designed by chefs.
Past projects:
Pasquale Hnos., a Peruvian sangucheria.
La Pepa, a juice store which will focus on the customer's comfort and experience.
Side projects
In parallel with the Peruvian franchises, Gastón Acurio is involved in numerous projects which include:
A cooking television program, La Aventura Culinaria, which is broadcast on cable television by PlusTV. It features Gastón Acurio visiting various places in Lima and other regions of Peru in search of restaurants and specific types of meal or ingredients. Two episodes include La Aventura del Ceviche, in which Gastón visited his top list ofCevicherias, and La Aventura del Queso, when Gastón enjoyed the best cheese based meals in various locations in Lima.
Top cuisine events worldwide, in which he promotes Peruvian cuisine to a wider audience, task which he accomplished at Madrid Fusion 2006, where he finally internationalized the Peruvian ceviche.
Cooking books, with a nice collection released recently by Peruvian newspaper El Comercio.
