Northern seasoning and female talent: the innovative dinner proposed by the Pueblo Viejo restaurant

All nieces and nephews are invited next February 23 to Aunt Ceci’s. The northern flavor will dress up with a four-handed dinner at the restaurant Old Town since the owner of the house, Cecilia Ríos, has summoned Mayra Flores (Shizen) to join her in the kitchen and raise the profile of regional food. The trio is completed by Thalía Talavera (Síbaris) who will be in charge of the bar. Laughter and camaraderie flow as we chat with them; It is only a preview of what will be the day of dinner. Impossible to miss.

COLLABORATION AND FUN

The objective of the dinner is to “fraternize the kitchens” and learn from each other, says Aunt Ceci, who opened Pueblo Viejo, a restaurant specializing in Chiclayo cuisine, in 1996. What better companion than Mayra, from Piur, who has known how to transport those flavors to the nikkei table of Shizen. The perfect trio was completed with Thalía, who is from the north by marriage (her partner Francesco de Sanctis was born in Sullana) and the teacher to share her expertise in the world of cocktails. “I want to prove that regional cuisine can also be in a four-handed dinner,” emphasizes the Chiclayo.

“It is important to celebrate friendship and make this union between women visible,” adds the chef from Shizen who, at the beginning of the year, celebrated her fifth anniversary with her own dinners to which chefs such as Pía León and Jaime Pesaque were invited. These friendly meetings allow diners to discover other gastronomic proposals: “it’s a win win for everyone”.

Fun is the third factor in these encounters. “It is creating synergy between the three, having fun and learning”, says the barwoman from Síbaris. In turn, she highlights the collaboration that occurs between all those involved in the gastronomic sector. Fraternization, visibility and fun are the keys to this party.

THE NORTHERN SEASON

As we already mentioned, the DNA of the northern flavor is present in both Cecilia Ríos and Mayra Flores. She first learned from her mother although she did not leave her recipes. Over the years, her palate was finding those flavors from her childhood. “Everything flowed, everything remembered me so I have been rescuing recipes. I think it’s within one”, says the cook that she especially enjoys working with dehydrated fish, zarandaja and tender Chiclayano corn.

The second had her Trujillo grandmother as a mentor; by accompanying her while she cooked, she was absorbing what she saw and today these memories appear when she seeks inspiration. The base of it to give a good flavor to a preparation are coriander, cumin and garlic.

While Thalía Talavera from Lima has been knowing the north, especially Piura, for 14 years through her husband. “For me it is like discovering a new gastronomy […] In bar themes, the north gives us certain fruits and cereals -like my favorite plum mango, tamarind and barley that can be mixed with whiskey- that are very tasty and versatile. At this dinner I want to flirt a bit with these ingredients in the cocktail bar to expose them in a different way from how they usually drink ”, he points out.

Aunt Ceci reiterates her invitation to be part of what will be a most homely evening: “It will be a dinner full of love and home. It is an occasion when we cooks go out [de la cocina] and everything becomes a party of food and friendship”.