Nobu Matsuhisa wowed by Peruvian gastronomy

The famous Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa has been touring Peru with his family and friends, more than 45 years after having arrived in the country for the first time.

Nobu's presence in Peru – which he considers his "second country" – is due to the dinner held yesterday at the Astrid & Gastón restaurant for the benefit of the Pachacútec school in Ventanilla and in honor of the late Toshiro Konishi.

The tribute was first conceived two years ago by Toshiro's wife and daughter, Michiko Aoki and Taeya, who keep the itamae's legacy alive at the Toshi restaurant.

As is well known, Nobu brought Toshiro to Peru more than four decades ago and together they laid the foundations of what we know today as Nikkei cuisine. After leaving Peru, Nobu included Peruvian ingredients such as chili peppers, rocoto peppers or lemon in the menus of his more than 50 restaurants around the world, internationalizing dishes such as ceviche or tiradito.

Peru Country Brand awarded him the 'Friend of Peru' award for this in 2017, an award created with the aim of strengthening and consolidating friendship ties with those people in the world who promote the virtues of Peru.

During his current visit to Peru, Nobu also went to Cusco and visited its main attractions, such as the citadel of Machu Picchu, accompanied by the Japanese chefs who gathered in the country for the charity dinner along with their closest relatives.