Chef Virgilio Martinez: ‘My motivation is to discover the unknown’

Chef VirgilioMartinez wears a calm demeanour in a crowd It instantly draws one in as he begins to narrate the story of his finedine cooking that begins with sourcing ingredients from the local biodiversity of Peruvian altitudes across regions from the Andes mountains to the Amazon forestIn 2023 his restaurant Central in Lima Peru was ranked No 1 in the Worldrsquos Best Restaurant List Masters of Marriott Bonvoy and Culinary Culture have brought the 47yearold Peruvian for a twoday popup at Koishii The St Regis Mumbai Within the first 24 hours of landing in Mumbai Martinez has eaten seafood at Trishna and Gujarati delicacies at Soam he even visited the spice market in LalbaugHis food journey is captured in a soontorelease documentary titled Virgilio It traces his quest to source and study Peruvian ingredients from cacao farms to corn grown on altitudes as high as 4000 m along with his sister Malena Martinez and wife Pia Leo The trio has shaped the philosophy behind Central MIL in Cuzco that offers a taste of Inca food and cultural history and research centre Mater Iniciativa InitiativeldquoPeruvian and Indian cuisines share the culture of living with flavourrdquo he says adding ldquoIn a market there is the chaos of information mdash smells flavours textures each ingredient fighting for attention The end experience is a balance of the harmony one creates with themrdquo Martinez elaboratesNo prize for guessing his comfort food Peruvian ceviche Edited excerpts from the interviewYour thoughts on Central ranking No 1 on the Worldrsquos 50 Best Restaurant list 2023This happened over by following a discipline of 15 years not overnight My motivation is to discover the unknown and share it with the world Winning has opened new doors mdash to see the world learn from it and cook for more peoplePeruvian chef Virgilio Martinez Pic CourtesyGetty ImagesDoes your approach to cooking change when you cook in another countryI listen and I learn I keep an open mind for 50 per cent changes The idea is to get in touch with humanity that is important I have brought a variety of quinoa cacao from Amazon and root vegetables I will be using Indian spices and chillies I picked up from the local markets On the Mumbai menu there is a dish called Extreme Altitude that has Peruvian corn from over 4000 m paired with quinoaThe word lsquorestaurantrsquo doesnrsquot seem to define your workhellipWe are thinking beyond gastronomy and instead working with different fields of understanding life and nature This has a huge transformation in our work We say we are cooking an ecosystem but we are also creating our own ecosystem We have the opportunity to redefine fine dining It is a privilege to be on top of something and try to do something avant garde We have this pressure but it is welcomeYour patrons have one bite to experience itThis one bite is presented with context A lot of stuff is going on in that one bite mdash it has to inspire you It can be challenging you can be judged by one bite In a world where we are connected to our gadgets you spend four hours on a meal and interact with nature These moments are magical People come in one state of mind and we watch it dramatically turn into a more positive state There is a feeling of transcendence What we do is transformative and I am not saying this in a pretentious wayTell us about the Peruvian food traditionsIn the Andean culture Peruvians recognise the presence of Mother Earth Before they sow seeds or harvest or start to work on fields they ask for permission from Nature It seems like a magical connection but for these communities itrsquos just lifeYou tend to pick extreme ingredients at timesOnce I was questioned by the customs at Los Angeles airport for carrying piranha meant to be served for a dinner in California It blew out of proportion I used to be very curious and sometimes reckless For me itrsquos about searching for knowledge and spreading it Cooking is a good place to share stuff Doing something people enjoy doing something you loveHow do you find time to switch offI always find my way back to nature It gives me the peace to reflect about life I gather all those learnings and take them into the kitchen I need to see new stuff all the time and that is why nature is fantastic because nature is always changingWhat are you taking back from MumbaiChillies for my wife and a lesson in hospitality