The award for best chef in the world is the result of work underpinned by a great team that includes national producers, affirmed Virgilio Martinez, the Peruvian chef who recently made history in Australia by winning the Chefs' Choice Award.
"I was chosen by chefs whom I looked up to my whole life, and whom I read when I wanted to become a chef," he told Andina news agency.
"It is a major award, but I'm not the kind who's always thinking about prizes and nominations," he added.
In this sense, the 39-year-old says he doesn't take the recognition as something personal, since doing so would mean taking all the credit for Peruvian farmers' hard work, who are the ones "driving the country."
Instead, he shares the title with them.
Precisely, the renowned chef on Monday had an emotional meeting with a group of his restaurant's suppliers and producers, who celebrate Virgilio's victory as theirs.
"They understand this is a way to promote their products," he said.
A self-proclaimed curious and explorer, Virgilio is always on a quest for the gifts Peruvian Andes have to offer.
"As a chef, I feel it is my duty to get to know my territory."
"I see what grows in each place and I put them [the ingredients] on a plate so they represent that place," he added.
So it is no wonder the menu of Virgilio's Central —the world's fifth best restaurant— does not follow a fixed renovation schedule.
Central's offer does not change by the season: it is renewed constantly, with new dishes being introduced —and others removed— as new ingredients arrive.
An authentic restaurant
The newly-elected best chef in the world partly ascribes his professional success to the element of surprise.
"Those who come to Central find products they've never seen before," he explains.
"But there's also a great team, because that's the only way you get new things. There's a huge motivation driving this place so it is not all fireworks, but rather an authentic restaurant," he stressed.
Another award on the horizon
The restauranteur and Central continue to harvest the fruit of Virgilio's labor.
His book "Central" has made it to the top three finalists of the James Beard Award Book in the Cooking from a Professional Point of View category.
Winners will be announced by the end of the month in New York.
The publication collects the results of research conducted by Virgilio and his team, telling the story of several national products like tocosh (fermented potato) or Amazonian fish.
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