Starting with a simple video on Instagram, he has gained millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram, garnering national recognition and collaborations with prestigious chefs such as Virgilio Martinez. Waldir Maqque's mission? Valuing Andean culture, inspiring the next generation, and pursuing ambitious projects, including opening a restaurant in Calca, celebrating the richness of Peru's indigenous traditions.
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Waldir Maqque, 27, posted his first video on Instagram in August 2021, in which he chews hay while hugging a couple of llamas."I noticed right away that there is a good segment of the public that appreciates country life and the freshly harvested products of the earth. So since then I haven't stopped posting," the young creator tells El Pais.
As a child, he did not dream of being a cook but of being a tour guide, yet something in him changed when his father brought home, in a town more than 3,700 meters above sea level, an old television set. He was 12, could barely speak Spanish, they spoke Quechua at home, but he still managed to tune in to a channel or two, and understand programs like Con Sabor in Peru, “they never showed rural life, the dishes I ate in daily life rarely appeared on the big screen.”
"Today we no longer watch television, but the telephone. If 10 years ago less than half of U.S. Latinos used the Internet, now the percentage is over 75 percent,” Maqque says. During the pandemic his sister gave him a phone, a Huawei, with which he started watching and recording short clips. “I was a cook a few years ago, but at the same time I opened a small business, to show everyone what it was like to experience the region from the inside.”
And so it is that twice a week the chef prepares, without gas and with earthenware pots, in front of the camera, the great classics of Peruvian cuisine such as grilled chicken, and some regional recipes such as chuño queque flour or international dishes such as ratatouille, salteñas or sushi, for more than 800,000 followers on Instagram and about 4 million on TikTok. Behind him is a breathtaking view: at an elevation of 4,000 meters , there is an enchanting panorama of the Sacred Valley, which has guaranteed him extraordinary success.
In the past two years, Maqque has even won awards nationwide, and has collaborated with prominent personalities such as chef Virgilio Martinez. “I have no intention of giving up my influencer career, I have many projects in store, plus I recently opened my restaurant in Calca.”
In Peru, Waldir is not the only one showing the Andean world with extreme sophistication, devoid of any prejudice. Alessandra Yupanqui, and other women, have become icons on the web. "We present ourselves for who we are, an indigenous people. This is how we were raised, the Andes have no relation to modernity; so why can't cooking on a stone be as impactful as grilling on Sundays at home?” she comments full of herself.
Although the proposal is original, it is not entirely new. "Content and art have been produced in the country forever, we just hadn't seen them yet. That's not to say they weren't already there. Instead, the novelty lies in what is felt in the cities, urban and governmental centers," says writer Marco Avilés.
