A regular round-up of culinary news from around the Americas, and beyond. If you have any tips about restaurant or hotel openings, new culinary books, food media worth reading, plus events and happenings of every sort, drop me a line thenewworlder@gmail.com.
Asparagus is not native to Peru or Mexico and it is not really eaten in either country. However, both Peru and Mexico have been transforming desert landscapes in Sonora and Ica into asparagus fields to supply the demand for the vegetable in the United States. This story by Matthew Zuras in Epicurious describes how this all started (it has a lot to do with the drug war and free trade agreements) and how the surging demand for asparagus is causing aquifers to dry up and send water prices soaring, which in turn affects the ability of small farmers to grow the native crops of these regions. Ironically, organizations like the World Bank are trying to find ways to increase water supply to “boost agricultural productivity” rather than consider the source of the problem. Every time you go to the grocery store and see asparagus there all season long, please take a moment to stop and think about where it is coming from.
Elsewhere in Food Media
The World’s Top Restaurant Right Now Is in South America by Nicholas Gill – Food & Wine
Swapping red meat for herring, sardines and anchovies could save 750,000 lives, study suggests – The Guardian
Peruvian restaurant Papa Llama in Orlando gets awarded a Michelin star – Michelin
Ghost Kitchens Are Disappearing, Squeezed by Demand and Complaints – The New York Times
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Restaurant Openings
Oqre – Cuzco, Peru: Jorge Muñoz, formerly the chef of the Michelin starred Pakta in Barcelona and more recently Astrid y Gastón in Lima, has opened the restaurant Oqre in Belmond’s Hotel Monasterio. The menu looks great and gives Asian touches to Andean ingredients. It’s part of Belmond’s larger culinary push in the city, which includes the recent opening of Pía León’s Mauka in their Palacio Nazarenas hotel.
Mad Burger – Miami, Florida: Lima chef and restauranteur Jaime Pesaque of Mayta fame has opened a branch of his burger concept Mad Burger in… checks notes…Miami, inside Veza Sur Brewing. Note that Pesaque also has long operated a Nikkei concept called Suviche also in Miami.
Grieta - Arequipa, Peru: Arequipa’s dining scene continues to evolve (Indigo was on our best new restaurants of 2023). Freestyle comfort food restaurant Grieta is another welcome addition.
Ayluri – La Paz, Bolivia: A lovely, lunch-only plant forward restaurant hidden behind a clothing store in the center of La Paz.
KAIYŌ Rooftop - San Francisco, California: Japanese-Peruvian restsurant KAIYŌ has added a rooftop cocktail bar and restaurant on the 12th floor of the Hyatt Place Hotel in San Francisco’s Soma district. They are also working on a Nikkei handroll bar in the Cow Hollow neighborhood.
Dulcería Fiol at Mut - Santiago, Chile: Sprawling market concept Mut in Santiago continues to attract reliable culinary names, now with pastry chef Camilla Fiol opening a branch of her hit pastelería Fiol.
Carnitas Ramirez – New York, New York: Greenpoint’s Taquería Ramirez is opening a carnita restauarnt across the East River in Manhattan’s East Village this summer. “We want to expand the knowledge of all the different parts of the animal that you can eat,” co-owner Giovanni Cervantes told Eater.
21 Entorno – Buenos Aires province, Argentina: In Tandil, in the Buenos Aires’ countryside, chef, forager and fermentation specialist Tomás Egusquiza Bidauri is developing a project based around wild and artisan foods.
Blue Lavender Cafe – Miami, Florida. Venezuelan chef and arepa lover Federico Tischler has opened a casual, healthy eating forward café and market in South Beach.
Ishtia– Houston, Texas: Choctaw chef David Skinner is converting his concept Eculent into a travel and events company, while transforming the restaurant’s space into a live-fire restaurant with indigenous flair.
Aside of access to all content, including the recently updated Eat List to Lima, Peru, subscribers with paid annual subscriptions get 1-on-1 restaurant recommendations and travel planning advice direct from me, up to 3 times per year. All they have to do is email me at thenewworlder@gmail.com.
New Book Recommendations
Pan y Dulce: The Latin American Baking Book (Pastries, Desserts, Rustic Breads, Savory Baking, and More) by Bryan Ford
The SalviSoul Cookbook: Salvadoran Recipes and the Women Who Preserve Them by Karla Vasquez
Elsewhere On Substack
Writer Lisa Abend launches The Unplugged Traveler
The Camembert crisis, and why we fear unsanctioned microbes
The Realities of Cookbook Criticism
If You Love Mangoes, Then This is For You
Recent Stories on New Worlder
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Thank you so much for the mention, Nick!