Acknowledgments

Each dish at La Patarashca—the iconic restaurant in Tarapoto that has served as a school for many of Lima’s chefs—is a celebration, a fiesta, a serving of happiness. Elia García, the restaurant’s creator, says that to cook, one must be happy. That’s why she has found ways to keep sadness away, a life decision that makes this woman an example of persistence and a model to be followed.

The chef, who once worked as a secretary at a state-run company, found her path at a time when our country was being racked by terrorism. It all began with six tables on Laguna Venecia, alongside her husband and her mother-in-law, Luisa del Carmen, whom she considers her teacher. Her great grandmother, Chujandama Sinarahua, a native woman from Lamas, instilled in her this indescribable love for cooking the region’s dishes. The adventure began over 30 years ago, and Elia has kept her curiosity intact: she loves to learn, research, and share.

The birth of La Patarashca in a spacious locale that would soon become warm and familiar marked a milestone in raising the visibility of our jungle’s cuisine. Elia wanted to prove that there was a world to be explored beyond juanes and cecina. And she was fearless. She experimented, created her own culinary proposals, and started to revive recipes from the matriarchs of San Martín-style cooking, which she later published in the book Magia y sabor de San Martín. Cocina y biodiversidad sanmartinense (The Magic and Flavor of San Martín: San Martín-Style Cooking and Biodiversity), a tribute to Amazonian food with its fresh, healthy, magical qualities.