Saturday, October 8, 7:00 pm
Members $100, guests $125

Huaca Pucllana, one of Peru’s best restaurants, is located in the 1,500-year-old pre-Incan ruins of one of the most important ceremonial sites of Lima’s earliest high priests. There, tables that were once set with potatoes and guinea pig (a common source of protein in the ancient Andes) are now graced with the artful New Peruvian cuisine of Marilú Madueño Martinez.

As one of the world’s oldest cuisines, Peruvian food has evolved over centuries into the complex, modern cuisine it is today. Since the time of the Incas, Peruvian food has been transformed by Spanish colonization and large migrations from Africa, France, and, more recently, China and Japan. These days, the country is flooded with Peruvian fusion, but few chefs combine flavors as successfully as Martinez does at Huaca Pucllana, which Frommer’s referred to as one of Lima’s “greatest dining surprises.”

The historical center is an inspiring setting for Martinez’s criollo cooking. Dishes such as duck risotto, stone prawn ceviche, and lamb ribs with pumpkin stew showcase the chef’s ability to translate ancient ingredients and techniques for diners with modern-day sensibilities. A native of Peru, Martinez studied hotel and restaurant management in Lima before heading to the United States to attend the culinary program at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. Next, she went to Paris to study at Le Cordon Bleu and build up her résumé at the beloved Michelin three-star restaurant Taillevent. She returned home to take a position at Lima’s five-star Restaurant La Rosa Nautica.

We can’t compete with the adobe walls of the Pucllana archeological zone, but when Marilú Madueño Martinez comes to dinner, you’re sure to find a rare cultural treat inside the brick walls of the James Beard House.