“The turkey is a celebratory bird in Peru,” says Costanera chef owner Juan Placencia. “Many years ago, the turkeys would be seasoned at home and then taken to the local bakery to be cooked in their large, hot ovens.”
A native of Lima, Peru, Juan Placencia moved to the U.S. at the age of two His passion for cooking led him to obtain a degree from Culinary Institute of America, and the opening his own Montclair, N.J. restaurant, Costanera Cocina Peruana.