I’m Virgilio Martinez, Chef Director of Palacio Nazarenas. I was born in Lima at a time when there were no cooking schools here and nothing like the restaurant scene that exists today. But my parents took me travelling, we ate in some wonderful places and I went on to study cooking and work overseas for 15 years in many different countries: France, Singapore, England, USA, Italy. For the past five years I’ve had my own restaurant, Central, in Lima, and I’m about to open another in London soon.
I’m very excited to be working with Palacio Nazarenas: it’s an exceptional opportunity to develop a new concept in Peruvian cuisine. The guests who come to the hotel’s new Senzo restaurant are likely to have travelled all over the world and I have to give them something truly unique. I’m working with a passion to develop a menu that takes Cuzco ingredients and cooking traditions to a higher level.
Read more about how I’m creating innovative Cuzco cuisine >