Latin Highlights from ICC’s Annual Conference in NYC

For the seventh year in a row, the StarChefs.com International Chefs Congress in NYC gathered some of the best gastronomic talent from around the world. This year’s conference theme was “Origins and Frontiers,” and Latin American cuisine had plenty of stories to tell, represented by the countries of Peru, Mexico, and Chile; and for the first time ever, a Peruvian chef was invited to preside over the main stage.

Virgilio Martinez (above), a culinary genius from Peru, wowed the audience with his presentation “Exporting Flavor: Modern Peruvian Cuisine.” Martinez highlighted the utter respect with which his kitchen treats their ingredients in his two restaurants, Central in Lima, and the newly opened Lima in London, while showcasing products such as maca, an Andean tuber that the Lee Brothers, hosts of the event, described as tasting “like a mix of mild horseradish with sweet carrots.”

A small glass filled with fresh stevia leaves, a natural sweetener, was passed to the attendees to taste. As Martinez said, in Peru “inspiration is coming from nature." Using a small arsenal of exotic ingredients, he prepared a scallop tiradito with aji amarillo leche de tigre, and a tricolored quinoa causa, made of native Peruvian potatoes.

“For a chef, the Andes are like Disney World,” he declared. With his dishes, Martinez showed the public the essence of his cuisine: modern technique, pristine ingredients, and creativity rooted on the knowledge of both local tradition and global flavors.

Marilú Madueño, chef at Huaca Pucllana, a restaurant located next to pre-Inca archaeological ruins in Lima, led a cooking workshop that also featured her country’s bounty. One of the dishes she prepared was snapper encrusted with red quinoa, which provided an incredible crispiness that contrasted with the delicacy of the fish.

In another workshop, Chilean wines were paired with small bites made by chef and Latin gastronomy authority Maricel Presilla, who just released her long-awaited book Gran Cocina Latina. Presilla told stories of her trips through Chile, getting to know different regions and ingredients. Wine tasting was directed by Master sommelier Fred Dexheimer, who sang the praises of Chilean terroir, one of few wine regions in the world free of phylloxera.

On a different main stage event, L.A. chef Jordan Kahn and New York’s own Alex Stupak of Empellon fame talked about their experiences switching from leading pastry stations to owning their own restaurants.

According to Stupak, there is an essential similarity between Mexican food and pastries: texture is vital. He demonstrated the basic steps for making tamal colado, a Yucatán specialty made of a steamed water-and-masa mixture wrapped in a banana leaf. Stupak spoke with reverence about Mexican cuisine’s sensibility and refinement, saying restaurants should “have the courage to embrace Mexican cuisine for what it is, there is no need to graft it into an European skeleton.”

For three consecutive days, conference-goers attended wine tastings, mixology and business seminars, and chefs’ demos and presentations. In between all of that, the Products Fair esplanade featured food carts, pop-ups, and plenty of samples to taste.

Chef Emmanuel Piqueras’ Panca restaurant in New York City gave away causas, cebiches, and stews, while a bartender continuously mixed pisco sour. In other stands, Ibérico ham, Spanish chorizos and cheeses, Chilean razor clams and chacarero sliders were offered. Spanish, and Chilean wines were sipped alongside French varietals, and cocktails were made with Peruvian pisco, and Puerto Rican rums.