Born and raised in Peru, Chef Jaime Pesaque started his culinary journey as a teenager, then studied at Le Cordon Bleu, Italian Culinary Institute (ICIF) as well as the Culinary Institute of America in New York.
Afterwards, worked at a number of legendary restaurants such as El Celler de Can Roca in Spain among others in Europe before going back to his home country.
Upon returning, he led Al Grano, an Italian restaurant. Eventually though, Chef Pesaque shifted his focus back to his native Peruvian food as he opened Mayta in 2008.
In 2019, Mayta entered the list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants, where it currently ranks 13th. In 2020, it made its debut on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, reaching 39th place. That same year, it was named Best Restaurant in the World by the World Culinary Awards. In addition, he has also been recognized by The Best Chef Awards.
As an entrepreneur, he expanded his business and opened concepts such as Sapiens, 500 Grados, and Mad Burger in Lima. Operating as "culinary embassies", he also opened Callao in The Hague, Netherlands and Mad Burger as well as NUNA in Miami, US.
In this Back to the Archives episode, Chef Pesaque shares his thoughts on the money aspect of a restaurant, the pressure chefs face, the reality of being creative and more.
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