Acknowledgments
Origin Award
Malena Martínez, on the trail of diversity
After studying medicine, she spent some time practicing her profession, but she soon discovered that it was not her true calling. She became involved in nutrition and the food industry, where her famous brother Virgilio encouraged Malena Martínez to undertake a great adventure: Mater Iniciativa, the research project that has become a pantry of Peruvian biodiversity for restaurants like the multi- award-winning Central, Kjolle, and Mil Centro (in Moray, Cusco).
She confesses that she is not a good cook. For years, she paid no attention to cuisine. But all of that changed thanks to Virgilio. She is now convinced that cooking is closely intertwined with creativity and art, and she firmly believes that research is the key to keeping our culinary boom going.
“I think more than the food itself, we are defined by our products, the ones we identify with, that we feel belong to us. In our work, we try not to put strict limits on things, like, ‘This is Peru and therefore these things only grow in Peru and if you’re from another country, you don’t have them.’ I don’t think it’s good to impose those divisions; we should be thinking of this as one big region.”
Knowing that there is still a world to be explored, she says that every time she travels to Cusco—at least once a month—she finds something new: a product with high nutritional value like targua or papa nativa potatoes with their antioxidants; or Amazonian fruits like arazá, camu camu, taperibá, pandisho, and macambo. There are also the many varieties of manioc, oca, mashua, achira, and tubers such as pituca. And of course, there is quinoa, with over 120 varieties, which has become a luxury item on dining tables everywhere.
Obsessed with cacao and chestnuts from the Madre de Dios region, among the many other blessings offered by our earth, Malena is tireless. Through Mater Iniciativa, which has locations in Cusco and Lima, she works with peasant communities in a vital exchange. Mater is an interdisciplinary innovation center that she leads with discipline, passion, and devotion, working alongside agronomists and farmers. Although she doesn’t like being in the spotlight, her committed work in discovering all there is to learn about Peru is truly remarkable.
