It’s hard to generalize millennials as a demographic; I think of millennials more like a psychographic as we now live in a time where anyone and everyone can share anything at any given point of time, and oh do we love to share our food! Food is such an integral part of our sharing culture that it appears 213 million times on Instagram, while food porn also has a whopping 118 million mentions. There are now a plethora of food bloggers, food shows, and with the Food Network, Bon Appetit, Chef’s Table, Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, Buzzfeed’s Tasty, (have I made my point yet?) food is front and center in our culture.
Whether you are sharing recipes on facebook, watching 1 minute videos about how to make cauliflower rice in your vitamix on Instagram, or snapping every single time you take a bite out of absolutely anything, no matter how old you are, you are probably sharing some type of experience about food, and that is because food is one of the main things that bring people together.
I worked in the restaurant industry for about 7 years and in those years I learned a lot about the power of food for connection and community. All different types of people, from different backgrounds, perspectives and mind frames would come together and all sit side by side in a restaurant. If you don’t believe me, think about the only thing that shuts up your relatives from fighting at any holiday, (insert the Turkey).
Food is a huge part of my life, anyone who knows me will tell you of my adoration for snacks, so it was no surprise when my best friend and business partner and I went to Peru, and he told me we had to go to this restaurant, Central. While we loved the food, (it’s hard not to), the experience exceeded our expectations. I wanted to share my experience with the world, (no I am not a food critic, but I loved it that much), but time went by, and I lost the words that would possibly do Central justice, and then I was lucky enough to watch the most recent episode of Netflix’s Chef’s Table in which the entire episode is about Central and Central’s creator Virgilio Martínez Véliz.
While I could certainly try to explain the menu to you, I would rather include this quote from Chef’s Table where Virgilio Martinez discusses how he composed the experience.
“From the bottom of the sea to the top of the mountains, we have many different levels and altitudes,” – the menu is based on altitudes, “ The exploration of Peru through food is an incredible one, being able to see all different regions of Peru through taste. “
One menu item, “sliders on the rock” with an altitude of 0 includes algae, and the crab among other elements that live on the rock. One critic said “there is something in the DNA of these ingredients and the flavors that just go together” He mentions that it is as if Virgilio Martinez just cooks in an ecosystem.
Virgilio Martinez is as ambitious as he is humble. With every great man, comes a great woman (or two) behind him, and he says “Without Melania, without Pia, there is no Central.” With his sister and wife and team of scientists, he uses 180 ingredients in his dishes, (50% unknown) that he seeks out all throughout Peru.
Perhaps the best way to experience Peru is through taste, whether it is from the sea, or the mountains or the rolling terrains, Central has created a palate that is forever evolving, locally and community driven with the boldness and integrity to attract two Americans to travel all the way to Lima to try it.
Here are some images we took just to prove how much this was truly #foodporn.
