Winner of two prestigious culinary competitions in the United States: “Chopped” of Food Network (2011) and “Knife Figh” (2015) of Esquire TV, Peruvian chef Miguel Aguilar, chosen “chef of the year 2015” in the sumq peruvian food festival, was recognized with a proclamation of the assembly of the state of New York Peruvian
Aguilar arrived in the United States in 1992 to participate in a surf tournament in Hawaii. Subsequently, he began working with the renowned chef Bobby Fly, owner of several prestigious restaurants, whom he considers his greatest inspiration, while recognizing the fundamental influence of his family roots and his first memories in the kitchen.
In 2011, surfish inaugurated in Brooklyn and, coincidentally, on June 11, the day he opened his second restaurant, Inkaico Peruvian Kitchen – in the same county -, the project was approved “Celebration of the weekend of Peruvian gastronomy throughout the state of New York”.
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Next, the interview with the acclaimed chef Miguel Aguilar:
How did the dream of opening the Inkaiko restaurant start?
Inkaico’s idea was born years ago, because he felt the need to cook a more authentic style, but with modern Peruvian cuisine features. My other restaurant, (surfish) that has remained for more than 15 years, represents a Peruvian fusion combined with my personal style, always keeping the flavors of Peru as a base. However, within me the desire to create a more pure concept, more focused on highlighting the true essence of our gastronomy, grew.
That was how I decided to look for a smaller, intimate space, where I could realize inkaico. It took me two years of searching this place, a place that gathered the perfect conditions to give life to this new dream. A restaurant that not only represents my evolution as a chef, but also a tribute to our Peruvian roots.
Was your great -grandfather Víctor Aguilar who innovated Peruvian cuisine using choros (clams), right?
That is a story that little by little was coming to light. It seems that much was never transmitted, nor did there talk about it inside the Aguilar family.
It was my uncle Ricardo, son of Víctor Aguilar – my great -grandfather – who one day told us this family story. He had a small fonda in Callao, with which he held to get the family forward. Of course, he had a good hand in the kitchen, because his seasoning became popular quickly. It was then that he started preparing choros in broth.
My great -grandmother, by my dad’s mother, called him “Choros broth”, and it seems that this nickname was staying, because in the neighborhood his broth became well known. I really tried it for the first time in Rovira, an old tavern in Callao. My father used to take me there to eat at home, at the tip.
And three generations have passed for you to feel that passion …
And although I think I am the only one in the family who has dedicated himself professionally to the kitchen as a livelihood, I am not the only one who inherited that love for cooking. My father cooked very well, and my grandfather – whom we all called Pope Tito, son of Víctor Aguilar – also had a very good hand. I cooked to entertain the family from time to time, my mother tells me, Elena.
Is there someone else in your family who has inherited culinary art?
My uncle Ricardo, his brother, always commented that Pope Tito was the only one of the children he helped in the kitchen. This was how he developed his seasoning and his taste for cooking.
How did you discover your great -grandfather and how it began to influence your life to know that story?
I discovered this vaguely through my uncle’s comments, and when I was a chef here in the United States. Investigating among the family, we all begin to collect memories and connect parts.
Later, between family conversations and loose memories, I discovered that my great grandfather had a fonda in Callao, Peru, where I sold a very popular broth based on drosses (mussels). We begin to investigate as a family, collect memories and connect the points. This is how I confirmed that part of our roots.
Inspired by that story, I decided to adopt its recipe and reinterpret it with Japanese ingredients such as miso, seaweed and dashi. The result was extraordinary: a tribute to my ancestors, merged with my identity as a modern cook.
Did you arrive with that dream to the US? What opportunities has this country given you?
As a child, I always dreamed of coming to the United States. For me, this country represents real opportunities and the perfect place to develop. Working with clear ideas and defined goals has been the formula that has allowed me to get ahead.
I started my culinary career in New York in 1996, working with the renowned chef Bobby Fly. Years later, I moved to California, where I gained experience in different restaurants, and in 2000 I returned to NYC to continue growing and developing Peruvian cooking proposals. Finally, in 2010, I managed to open Surfish Bistro with the help of my mother, who was also my partner.
The desire to become a chef was something that fate put me on the way, but it was my passion and the love for what I do what kept me focused.
Peruvian food is classified as the best in the world. What do you feel when you see people’s faces – on your restaurant – savoring your seasoning?
For me, there is no greater reward than to see the expressions of surprise and joy in the faces of the guests when they prove our dishes. It is a huge pride to represent Peruvian cuisine in the United States and contribute my grain of sand to the gastronomic boom that our country lives. Cooking is a way to connect with people, to tell a story … and when that story reaches the heart through flavor, everything makes sense.
Are your specialty in Peruvian food the choros (clams)?
Choros have a very special meaning for me, because they are linked to my family history. I took that traditional recipe and reinvented it. So yes, the choros are part of my culinary identity, and I like to think that I honor my family and our roots.
What is your favorite dish?
It is difficult to choose only one, but if I have to choose, I keep the classic ceviche. It is a dish that reflects freshness, balance, technique and respect for the product. In addition, it connects to the sea, with my beginnings, and with the essentials of Peruvian cuisine: authentic and soul flavor.
Are you still surfing?
Of course! I keep surfing here in New York, I don’t miss a single day with waves. I know the entire local surfer and the sea is part of my life. I will never stop, because surfing is my passion, just like the kitchen. Both things motivate me, keep me active and balanced. They are my way of freeing energy and continuing to create.
