“The typical Peruvian dish is not cebiche, it is grilled chicken”

Yes ok tsumura, 37 years old, at this point in his life is buried in awards and decorations, receiving the trophy from this journalistic house means for him the validity of his compatriots. “It means that I am not only recognized in the world, but also that I am recognized in my country, Peru. I did not campaign or anything, however, my name came up. This has been organic, and it gives me a sense of joy and belonging.”, he says in conversation with El Comercio.

As a chef and businessman who is constantly seen at international congresses and conferences, 2022 was a pause in his life to consolidate the project of his dreams: Tori’s chicken shop. “Even though the world was reactivating, I needed to be here. I also had to maintain Maido and launched my line of sauces on the market”.

However, micha He acknowledges that his path has not been easy and the struggle was constant. Even his family was concerned about his mental state and even encouraged him to abandon the idea. “If I was stressed it was because this market is very competitive. Clearly the typical Peruvian dish is not cebiche, it is grilled chicken. People already have their favorite chicken store, so how do you get them to buy from yours? For them my name was not worth, nor my fame. It had to be good, pretty and cheap”.

Fortunately, the result was positive, he was able to handle the stress and has begun to receive the fruit of his sacrifices. “We have been able to pay our debts and other expenses. If it hadn’t been for [la reactivación económica]we would be in serious trouble”. Although they have not yet fully recovered from the setbacks left by the pandemic, he admits that the volume of work has increased, he has increased his staff and is already generating profits again.

“The pandemic taught us a lesson that we had already adopted as a philosophy many years ago: gastronomic tourism is essential in Peru. Starting a restaurant is very complicated, it takes a lot of perseverance to follow your dreams”, he affirms about this experience.

pressure creates diamonds

The chef considers that the pressure has been of great importance to challenge himself and get out of his comfort zone. “You should always push yourself to the limit in order to generate new experiences, content and a different product. My reward and my therapy is to see my clients enjoy, it is the greatest joy that I can have in the day”.

The next step is to franchise Tori and expand it as a chain nationally and internationally. He also aspires for his Peruvian sauces to be exported. More than mercantilist ideas, he is driven by the desire to internationalize Peruvian cuisine through the export of Peruvian ingredients.

“Amazonian and Andean products can be packaged so that people can grab them and use them as products in their kitchen. Just like Parmesan cheese, soy sauce, olive oil or Tabasco sauce, we can turn them into necessary inputs on the table of everyone in the world.”.

That might seem like enough ambitions for the busy schedule he already has, but he smiles and confesses that he also knows how to have fun amidst all the workload. “I have learned to separate the moments. Chamba is chamba and then I turn off the chip. I like to be in the street, I like to go out, I like to party. ‘Work hard, play hard”.

He knows that this facet is unknown to many Peruvians, so he plans to show more aspects of his life through social networks, “humanize”. “People want me to post things about my personal life, and I’m going to do it. They ask me to see me in an ordinary way, not just behind my kitchen”. For now he has a guaranteed audience among the people who recognized him during the voting for the Luces Awards. We’re not yet sure what kind of content will come, but we can guarantee that it will spare no effort, like every path it undertakes.