Ecuador’s Alejandro Chamorro and his wife Pìa Salazar, who opened restaurant Nuema in 2014, showcase a highly original pastry section, packed with biodiversity and imagination.
The story
Newly crowned Latin America’s best pastry chef at the 50 Best (Watch the video here), Pía Salazar will likely go down in history for putting Ecuador on the “food map.” The treasures of the local biodiversity, lush with fruits and vegetable, are the stars of her unique sweet creations. In a country world-famous for chocolate, they create harmonies between Liliaceae, the savory elements of seaweed and the aromas of local herbs. Leeks, onions, fermented garlic… Nothing is missing from the basket except what is considered “normal.”
Coconut, yeast, and black garlic
She and her husband, chef Alejandro Chamorro, opened the restaurant Neuma, as an acronym of their three children Nuria, Emilio and Martin, in the capital in 2014. They had met in the Astrid and Gaston spin-off in Quito, where she, the rebellious daughter of doctors, was studying pastry with Astrid Gutsche, who had been awarded years earlier the same distinction that would one day become hers.
The dining room at Nuema
“Astrid has been my mentor, she taught me the value of our products. At first people kept telling me I was crazy. They kept saying: you can’t put mushrooms on a dessert! You should use chocolate instead!” Luck this time rewarded courage, as in 2020 Nuema became the first Ecuadorian restaurant to enter in the Latin American 50 Best, shooting two years later to the 24th position. Soon the restaurant in Quito will be joined by a pastry shop with their creations, while nearby in Cumbayà, a second, more informal restaurant will open.
Crab and lantana flower
“Awards represent a great responsibility; they’re a recognition for the country and for all the work being done. We are now a reference point for young people; therefore, we must explain that all this doesn’t come by easily. Furthermore, we must support other restaurants and other chefs. In Ecuador we are just starting out. We still need to create our own identity, learn to believe in ourselves and be proud of our origins. There only used to be Peruvian and French restaurants, nobody was valorizing our local productions. It’s a process, we must lay a strong foundation and work hard.”
Source: theworlds50best.com
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Cover photo: @Soledad Rosales - Pictures: @Nuema
