April 2023 - Palacio Nazarenas, A Belmond Hotel, Cusco, is delighted to announce the appointment of internationally acclaimed chef and 2021 World’s Best Female Chef, Pía León as Culinary Director of her new restaurant, Mauka.
A CELEBRATION OF HYPER-LOCAL BIODIVERSITY
Named after an endangered Incan root vegetable, Mauka is an ode to the bounty of Cusquenian cuisine and its diverse produce, from the Andean mountains to the Amazon rainforest. At its core, Pía’s vision is to preserve Peruvian culture, transcending local gastronomy, curating moments to learn and experience the true root and origin of Andean cuisine.
Together with local farmers and artisans, Pía and her team continue her culinary legacy, incorporating Cusco’s history and biodiversity into the restaurant’s DNA, with menu items such as grains from the Andean plateau with pumpkin cream and beef cheek cooked at a low temperature, Urumbamba giant corn, Pampa yuyo, and smoked caiguas. Weaving past, present, and future together, the menu curates unforgettable culinary experiences at the heart of the once capital of the Incan empire, using distinctive flavours from forgotten tropical and mountainous crops.
“Through my work, I aim to preserve and showcase the megadiversity of my country," she says. " I am thrilled to share my vision in Cusco at Palacio Nazarenas. Each region has its own ingredients, each with different tones and nuances, providing a clear identity and history. Mauka continues in the same vein, representing the natural meeting of Peruvian art, biodiversity, and cuisine.” says Pía León.
To accompany the dishes, a curated list of wines has been selected from local high-altitude vineyards. Cocktails are made with distillates developed by Mater, which aims to explore, register, and interpret Peruvian megadiversity. These include Q´aqe, a bitter made with 26 herbs and roots and foraged at 4,000 MASL (metres above sea level), and an Amazonian Spirit, made with a selection of fruits and botanicals from the local rainforest.
NATURAL CRAFT AND ELEGANT HISTORY
Mauka’s interiors have been curated to delight the senses, taking a step closer to the local land and people who keep culinary traditions and food of provenance alive. Guests are immersed in more than just food - natural lighting enhances the Andean Lenga wood and volcanic stone finishes, while the smooth texture of natural fabrics using botanical inks by local artists. The calm, relaxed interiors are further enhanced by a soundtrack recorded in nature with instrumentals composed by Peruvian artists. Tactile, handmade copper cutlery and pastel coloured ceramic plates - designed by the acclaimed chef and inspired by local crafts - welcome guests to each table.
AN EPICUREAN HOTSPOT IN THE ANDES
The day-to-day running of the kitchen is led by talented Head Chef Leonel Almanza. The Cusco native, who specialised in culinary arts, joined Palacio Nazarenas’ kitchen team in 2015. Leonel is now in charge of executing, and deepening his knowledge of Andean gastronomy and its diverse produce.
Mauka aims to introduce diners to a thoughtful vision of Cusco, where they can immerse themselves in a pleasant dining experience, surrounded by a sensory understanding of place, landscape, and the peoples of the Peruvian Andes.
The restaurant offers an à la carte menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with ingredients sourced from extreme altitudes around lagoons, forests, valleys, and the origins of the Amazon River.
Palacio Nazarenas, a former 17th Century convent in the heart of Cusco, is home to original architectural features such as colonial frescoes with 21st-century elegance, inca walls, and an important collection of Cusco paintings.
ENDS
Please see more images of Mauka and Pía León HERE.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
Mauka is open for breakfast from (6:00 to 10:30), lunch (12:00 to 15:30), and dinner (18:30 to 22:00).
For reservations, please call +51084-582222, email mauka.reservations@belmond.com, or click here to book online.
Instagram Mauka.cusco
For further media information on Pía León and Mauka, please contact:
Maria Potagge: mpotagge@centralrestaurante.com.pe or call +1 808 298 78609
Please visit the Belmond Media Hub.
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ABOUT PIA LEON
Peruvian born Pía began her career in 2008 at Central, a world renowned restaurant concept that proposes a journey through Peruvian ecosystems at different altitudes for a unique culinary experience . Pia is co-owner with his partner, chef Virgilio Martinez. Together, they have also created Mil in Cusco and Maz in Tokyo.
In 2018, she opened her own haute cuisine restaurant, Kjolle, named after an Andean tree, in which she expresses her ideas through an open, creative, Peruvian, pure, and modern cuisine. Only a year later, Pía won the Latin American Best Female Chef Award and, in 2021, the World's Best Female Chef Award. Kjolle won Best Signature Cuisine in 2022. (Summum awards)
ABOUT BELMOND
Belmond has been a pioneer of exceptional luxury travel for over 46 years, building a passion for authentic escapes into a portfolio of one-of-a-kind experiences in some of the world’s most inspiring destinations.
Since the 1976 acquisition of the iconic Hotel Cipriani in Venice in 1976, Belmond has continued to perpetuate the legendary art of travel, taking discerning global travellers on breathtaking journeys. Its portfolio extends across 24 countries with 50 remarkable properties that include the illustrious Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train, remote beach retreats like Cap Juluca in Anguilla, Italian hideaways such as Splendido in Portofino, or unrivalled gateways to world natural wonders such as Hotel das Cataratas inside Brazil’s Iguassu National Park. From trains to river barges, safari lodges to hotels, each unique property offers an incomparable experience with its own story to tell. The essence of the Belmond brand is built upon its heritage, craftsmanship and genuine, authentic service. Belmond sees its role as custodians of timeless heritage, dedicated to preserving its assets through sensitive, ongoing restoration plans. Belmond is part of the world’s leading luxury group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. www.belmond.com