Marisa Guiulfo, the great lady of Peruvian cuisine, died

Our darling has left Marisa Guiulfo. The great lady of Peruvian cuisine, the one with the beautiful smile, a hard-working woman like no other, a fighter to the end. She has left in peace and surrounded by a lot of love, so much love !, like the one she herself shared, not only with hers -Marisa was the Mamina and all her chicks- but with this Peru whose greatness, culture, tradition, fruits , flavors and colors he celebrated so many times and that was the source of his inspiration.

“She will always be as you remember her,” says her niece, Andrea Romero Guiulfo (“the daughter I never had but was a daughter since she was born,” said Marisa), and her words help to mitigate the sadness. Because when remembering Marisa Guiulfo today, what prevails is joy, her warmth, the enveloping aroma of her flowers and the imposing grandeur of the sea that she always adored. What a wonderful woman to generate that pleasant sensation around her!

A full life

Marisabel Guiulfo Zender used to say that she was born the same year as the great earthquake and that she had been baptized with the name of the protagonist of a radio soap opera. The eldest daughter of Adela Zender and Luis Guiulfo del Río -who also had Lucho, Armando and Titi-, she turned 81 a couple of weeks ago, on November 13. With almost five decades of culinary career, it is fair to recognize that this Peruvian with a bright smile, sparkling blue eyes, exquisite palate and great vitality was the one who one day, marveling at the diversity of our national cookbook, wondered why Peruvian cuisine and its inputs were not part of the large celebratory banquets. And it was she who included her, with happiness and a lot of pride.

Marisa used to clearly remember the prelude to those beginnings. He was 19 years old when he came to the United States, after studying shorthand and typing in Lima, and working in a travel agency that gave him vacations and a life-changing plane ticket after a year. Mariza immigrated to San Francisco, where she found work in the main office of Bank of America. In a basement where money was counted with machines, she discovered culinary globalization: surrounded by fellow Hungarians and Asians, she looked around and learned their typical foods. “How could I not teach them Peruvian cuisine?” Asked the young woman who received valuable recipes from her mother Adela. “The first thing I prepared was a country ham and I made sausages. My Peruvian friends, delighted; the foreigners, happy ”, he told us many years ago, his eyes full of nostalgia.

Marisa Guiulfo lived in the United States for almost six years. In San Francisco she married Tomás Ossio and had their first son, Felipe. They moved to Los Angeles shortly before their return to Peru, where José, Álvaro and Coque were born. The Guiulfo Era, which dressed our gastronomy with national identity, elegance and good taste, began like this.

An unforgettable chef

The longing that living far from Peru causes reinforced in Marisa her self-taught seasoning and the need to replicate her flavors. Recipes from his mother came to him in letters through the traditional mail; She prepared them, while she was molding that good taste and style, which when she returned was reinforced with what nature gave her: biodiversity and a lot of color. Hardworking and strong like no other (she overcame cancer, heart surgeries and diabetes), she painted our Lima gray with joy since she began organizing children’s birthdays and small meals. This is how Mamina – as her family will always call her – decided to celebrate life. And that is how he titled his most valuable book: “Celebrate life”, a volume that paints her full-length and that today represents a fundamental compendium to learn about her own history and great legacy.

Because Marisa didn’t keep anything. A loving mother, she guided her children along the path of good cooking; chefs Felipe and Coque Ossio are a clear example of this. He shared his recipes, trained dozens and even hundreds of cooks and collaborators, enraged his guests. And in parallel, like a fairy godmother, she was in charge of making the wishes of those who entrusted her the responsibility of setting up unforgettable events come true, from an intimate meeting to presidential banquets and, of course, the large receptions, weddings and parties where she imprinted her personal stamp. and absolute dedication, with the support of his children and great family, his team, his great friend Eduardo de las Casas and his right arm, Viri Bacigalupo.

“Marisa will always be as you remember her.” We repeat this phrase over and over again, which does nothing but draw a smile on our face, because we have Marisa painted in our memory like this, celebratory. “Look at this blue, isn’t it cute?” Marisa wrote in the book that bears her signature. And with that vibrant color, so hers, so Pucu, heaven welcomes her today, December 4. Rest in peace, Marisa, and thank you for teaching us to celebrate life.