Gastón Acurio
Peruvian chef who built Astrid y Gastón into a global Peruvian-cuisine empire — 12 brands, 45+ restaurants, 9 countries, including Yakumanka Barcelona.
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Gastón Acurio is the Peruvian chef who built Astrid y Gastón in Lima (1994) into a global Peruvian-cuisine empire — 12 brands across more than 45 restaurants in nine countries, including Yakumanka Barcelona. He is widely credited with elevating Peruvian cuisine to international recognition and has received the World's 50 Best Restaurants Lifetime Achievement Award and Peru's Order of Merit Grand Cross.
From @gastonacurio on Instagram
En Lima y Buenos Aires, la gastronomía dejó hace tiempo de ser una actividad reservada a restaurantes para convertirse en una conversación íntima. En Buenos Aires se habla de parrillas, bodegones, pizzas o heladerías con la misma pasión con la que en Lima se habla de cebicherías, chifas, sanguchería
Barranco siempre fue territorio de libertad. Un distrito que acogió artistas, tabernas y jóvenes que llegaban con la certeza de que allí era posible inventar. Pero en los últimos años, Barranco empezó también a llenarse de pequeños fuegos encendidos por cocineros jóvenes, panaderos obstinados, pizze
Tuve la suerte de crecer en una casa donde casi nunca hubo peleas. Salvo a la hora de entrar a un restaurante. Entonces empezaba siempre la misma discusión. —No comas tanto pan que te vas a llenar —decía mamá a papá. Y mi padre, sin culpa, agarrando otro pedazo, respondía: —Pero si es lo que más
Biography
Early years
Born in Lima, Peru, Acurio initially aimed to become a lawyer and enrolled at Madrid's Universidad Complutense. He dropped out in 1989 to pursue cooking, moved to Paris, and trained at Le Cordon Bleu, where he met Astrid Gutsche — his future wife and business partner.
Career
The couple moved to Lima and opened their first restaurant, Astrid y Gastón, in 1994 — the project widely credited with elevating Peruvian cuisine onto the global stage. Over the next thirty years Acurio built one of the largest fine-and-casual Latin-American restaurant groups in the world: 12 brands across more than 45 restaurants in nine countries. Yakumanka — his international cebichería brand — opened in Barcelona in 2017 with Acurio's disciple Tomás de la Paz as head chef, and now also operates in Mexico City and Geneva.
Philosophy
Acurio's career is built around an explicit project: to use Peruvian cuisine as a vehicle for national pride and global recognition. The cooking ranges from the high-end format of Astrid y Gastón to the cebichería casualness of Yakumanka, but the throughline is the same — Peruvian product and technique presented without compromise to an international audience.
Restaurants
Elsewhere
1Accolades
- ·Founder of Astrid y Gastón (Lima, 1994) — widely credited with putting Peruvian cuisine on the global map
- ·Gastronomic director of 12 brands across 45+ restaurants in 9 countries
- ·Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award — World's 50 Best Restaurants
- ·Peru's Order of Merit for Distinguished Services, Grand Cross
Frequently asked
Where can I eat Gastón Acurio's cuisine in Barcelona?
Yakumanka, his international cebichería brand, opened in Barcelona in 2017. The Barcelona kitchen is led day-to-day by Acurio's disciple Tomás de la Paz.
What is Astrid y Gastón?
Astrid y Gastón is the Lima fine-dining restaurant Acurio opened with his wife Astrid Gutsche in 1994 — the project widely credited with elevating Peruvian cuisine to the global stage. The chef couple met at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.
How big is the Acurio restaurant group?
Twelve brands across more than 45 restaurants in nine countries. Yakumanka alone operates in Barcelona, Mexico City, and Geneva.