LIMA ON A PLATE
There’s a foodie revolution going on in ... Lima? Yes, the capital of Peru is putting a history of turmoil behind it in favour of flavours new and old in a part of the city that was once a no-go zone
Lima’s La Mar Avenue was once so dangerous, local taxi drivers would refuse fares there. Now, it’s home to some of Peru’s most innovative food and exciting entrepreneurs, including one who has developed a vegan menu so elaborate it would outshine any inner-city Melbourne cafe.
Speckled with car mechanics, the street was once a hub of drug runners and crime.
The jagged glass cemented as makeshift barbed-wire on tall front fences provides a clue that not all was as harmonious 15 years ago as La Mar now seems.
Mainly known for its cebicherias – which serve the traditional Peru dish of ceviche – the avenue is now branching into the trendy and organic.
One entrepreneur taking at least partial credit is Jonathan Day, a Lima-born bread enthusiast who ditched his acting dream to open an artisan bakery.
Nicknamed Chola, Day returned from studying acting in London with a craving for good bread and, after a couple of years selling his handiwork at a beachside resort, set up el pan de la Chola. With his two sisters and brother-in-law Gabriel Briceno, the quartet hand make almost everything they sell and anything they can’t, is sourced from local producers.
“This was never an idea, it was out of necessity,” he said.
“I had an urge for eating good bread and there wasn’t good bread.”
It’s decked out in metal and wood, feels like a bustling inner-city cafe and serves up simple, tasty bread and indulgent pastries.
There’s a vegan chocolate bar, yoghurt made from scratch and Lima’s only 100 per cent sour dough bread without commercial yeast.
Just down the road, past an immaculately presented organic supermarket, you’ll find Armonica – the creation of another young entrepreneur, Solange Martinez. Her vision, too, was out of necessity, after spending much of her life sick with food intolerances.
While major cities in developed countries like Australia caught the healthy food bug years ago, Peru is yet to be infected, leaving anyone with dietary requirements few eatingout options.
Martinez is on the frontline, creating a menu that invites anyone dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free or just health conscious to enjoy tasty meals, smoothies and deserts.
“For me, it’s a place where I can share health with the people,” Martinez says.
“It’s not a business for me.”
The menu includes gluten-free pasta made from quinoa and rice, a range of ice-creams whipped up with fruit and almond milk and vegan chocolate brownies and cheesecake.
The spread is colourful and deceiving. It seems unlikely anything that healthy could look that good.
And the biggest surprise: it tastes almost exactly like the real thing with no chemicals, preservatives and, in most cases, no dairy or added sugar.
“I want people to eat whatever they want in a healthy way,” she said.
La Mar is also handing Martinez a
“I FEEL THAT I’M PART OF SOMETHING THAT IS REAL”