The world’s top chef? You’ll find him in the Andes

An obsession with indigenous Peruvian ingredients has taken Virgilio Martínez to No. 1 in the World’s Best Restaurants list.

Paul Richardson

Aug 23, 2023 – 5.00am

Email LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Subscribe to gift this article

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.

Subscribe now

Already a subscriber?

As I sit down to lunch my head is in a spin. It’s a dizziness brought on partly by altitude sickness, partly by a number of pre-lunch cocktails, and partly by sheer excitement at having made it to one of the summits of global gastronomy.

In June, Central, the Lima restaurant of Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez took the number one spot in the annual San Pellegrino/Acqua Panna “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list, in recognition of “a menu that celebrates the unique biodiversity of the country’s indigenous ingredients”.

Financial Times