Peruvian wins prize in Spain for preparing a typical Asturian dish better than the locals

A Peruvian chef has grabbed the headlines of the main Spanish media. This is Carlos Guillermo García, from the restaurant Mesón Asturiano Sidrería Arturo. The reason? He has just been chosen as the winner of “The best bean in the world”, a contest that was held on March 21 in the city of Villaviciosa and that is very popular because it is a flagship dish of the Asturias community.

Carlos García’s achievement lies in the fact that this is the first time in the 13 editions of the contest organized by the Villaviciosa City Council, that the prize “exits the limits of the Principality of Asturias”, as the newspaper “El mundo” highlights, since The restaurant where the Peruvian has been cooking for 30 years (and he has owned it for 8 years) is located in the city of Madrid.

Located on Calle del Mar de Bering, in the Hortaleza district, the Mesón Asturiano Sidrería Arturo restaurant specializes in Austrian food. In addition to their fabada, they are famous for their cachopo, oreja al ajillo, and rice pudding for dessert.

The “The best fabada in the world” contest was carried out with a selection of 20 establishments from the Principality of Asturias and 5 classified establishments from other cities, as well as 2 from outside Spain: Ibérica, from London and El Fontán, from Brussels.

The jury decided on March 21 in favor of the Peruvian, who was competing among those selected outside the Principality.

Carlos Guillermo García, 58 years old, arrived in Spain in December 1991. pharmacist by profession, followed in the footsteps of his brothers who had also migrated to the European country. Although he validated his degree in Spain, he did not find work in his sector and began working in a seafood restaurant.

It was in 1995, according to what the Peruvian told the Spanish newspaper “El mundo”, that Arturo and María, founders of the inn in 1985, “hired him and taught him, among other things, how to make his then-known fabada”.

In 2015, Arturo retired and offered Garcia to keep the business, to which he fearfully agreed.

Fabada is a dish that is made with Asturian faba, sausages such as chorizo ​​and Asturian blood sausage, and with pork. It is one of the best-known dishes of Spanish gastronomy.

In the contest “The best fabada in the world” these were the positions of the 2023 edition:

• Position 1: Asturian Meson Sidrería Arturo.
• Position 2: Casa Hortensia Restaurant & Cider House.
• Position 3: The Willow.