Stirring the Melting Pot
Pica Peru | www.peruculinaryvacations.com

With a history including the legacy of the Incas, Spanish conquistadores, and large Japanese and Chinese immigrant communities, Peru has an incredibly rich food culture. When writer/chef Kazia Jankowski traveled there to complete a guidebook, she was so taken with the people and their inventive approach to cuisine that she—along with Peruvians Sandra and Norma Gamio—created Pica Peru, an organization dedicated to exposing American foodies to Peru’s many gastronomic treasures. “I’d attended culinary school in San Sebastián, Spain, which, in the culinary world, is the center of new creativity applied to traditional old dishes,” Jankowski says. “Think of traditional calamari served in an ink sauce deconstructed into calamari served with ink foam … When I arrived in Peru, I was surprised to see chefs taking the same kinds of creative liberties.”

Inspired by Peruvian innovations like traditional ceviche fused with Asian flavors and jungle fruits, Jankowski decided to take the idea of a guided vacation a bit further. Not only do Pica Peru trips expose travelers to restaurants and chef culture, but they include shopping excursions to food markets and interactive cooking classes. “We want to give travelers an idea of how exciting it is for Peruvian chefs to work with such a diversity of customs and ingredients,” she says.