Born in Lima in 1967 and trained at Le Cordon Bleu Paris, Gastón Acurio opened Astrid y Gastón (1994) and a constellation of global brands—from La Mar to Tanta—becoming Peru’s culinary ambassador and winning the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Lifetime Achievement Award 2018.
The son of a politician and an entrepreneur, Gastón Acurio Jaramillo left law school for the kitchen, meeting pastry chef Astrid Gutsche in Paris. Back in Lima, they opened Astrid y Gastón in 1994, the first fine-dining spot to elevate ceviche, anticuchos and French technique; in 2013 it topped Latin America’s 50 Best and earned the Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award.
Between 2005 and 2025 his empire expanded: La Mar (marinero-nikkei seafood, now in ten cities including Lima, Miami, San Francisco and—since March 2025—Madrid) ; Tanta (criollo comfort), Panchita (anticuchos), Chicha (Andean cuisine) and the bakery-chifa concept Madam Tusan. He also founded the Pachacútec Culinary School, training cooks from vulnerable communities, and launched Mistura (2008-2017), the festival that ignited Peru’s food boom.
His mission—“democratising Peruvian culinary pride”—influenced a new guard, including Virgilio Martínez and Mitsuharu “Micha” Tsumura; the latter recalls Acurio as the first guest at Maido, now World’s Best Restaurant 2025.
Key honours: Prince Claus Award (2009) for cultural impact, Global Gastronomy Award (2013), Chefs’ Choice Latin America’s 50 Best (2014) and the World Lifetime Achievement (World’s 50 Best 2018).
Publishing includes “500 Años de Fusión” (2008, Gourmand Award) and the TV show Aventura Culinaria, promoting quinoa, lúcuma and grilled beef heart—recently served to Spanish business leaders during his Madrid tour.
Though Michelin arrived in Peru only in 2023, Astrid y Gastón remains among the world’s most-lauded restaurants—proof, Tasting Table notes, that “Bibendum’s seal isn’t indispensable.”
