It is a lively workshop where Jaime Pesaque, one of the world’s most highly regarded chefs, and his team explore new and endless combinations daily, drawing on Peru’s rich gastronomic heritage. It is located directly opposite his restaurant, Mayta, which caters to very, very discerning palates
by Chiara Risolo
He has revolutionised Peruvian cuisine and won over even the harshest international critics with his dishes, earning himself a place of honour in the Olympus of haute cuisine.
But Jaime Pesaque, like any self-respecting great chef, is never satisfied and always aims higher, taking on new challenges. The latest is called Yachay, a creative laboratory and gastronomic atelier housed in a building directly opposite his Mayta restaurant, which he opened in 2008 in Lima’s Miraflores district and which is now undoubtedly one of the favourite destinations for refined gourmets. Just think, it is ranked eleventh in the classic list of the 50 best restaurants in Latin America, and in 2020 it was even named the Best Restaurant in the World at the World Culinary Awards.
// «At Yachay, we explore, experiment and create the language that we will then speak at Mayta». //
Yachay, a word from Quechua, means to know, to learn, and the choice of name is perfect: Pesaque has transformed these walls into a space where, with his trusted team, he experiments, explores, and elevates the standards of culinary art every day, pouring more than just his heart; his taste surpasses every obstacle. The Amazon, thanks to its remarkable biodiversity, offers a truly vast array of fruits, roots, plants, spices, and fish, which lends itself to new discoveries and endless combinations. “Yachay”, the chef explained, “represents Mayta’s creative spirit; it is the kitchen behind the main kitchen. It’s a warm, intuitive space that encourages exploration and reinvention. Here, everything we discover in the field comes to life. It’s a constantly evolving hub of ideas where curiosity turns into action”.
Amazon, thanks to its remarkable biodiversity, offers a truly vast array of fruits, roots, plants, spices, and fish, which lends itself to new discoveries and endless combinations.
In this lively workshop, however, it is not just the raw materials that come under examination. Great care is also taken, as is appropriate, to the aesthetics of the dish. The tableware becomes a key part of the narrative: each piece, carefully crafted from clay, is hand-made and shaped manually. These are unique pieces created in collaboration with local artisans.
// «Yachay represents Mayta’s creative spirit, the kitchen behind the main kitchen. It’s a warm, intuitive space that encourages exploration and reinvention». //
Yachay further demonstrates, if needed, Pesaque’s professional calibre, which has earned him significant recognition through his dedication: in 2022, Forbes included him in its list of the 50 most creative Peruvians, while in 2025 he received the Summun Award for best signature cuisine. In addition to Mayta, Pesaque runs other restaurants in Lima, including Sapiens, 500 Grados and Mad Burger. But that’s not all. The chef has also exported his deeply distinctive cuisine to other parts of the world: to The Hague, for example, in the Netherlands, where he runs the Callao restaurant, and to Miami, where he is head of the NUNA project, which focuses on Nikkei cuisine. All that remains is to choose one of the many addresses to experience the soul of Peru first-hand.
(Yachay – The joy of experimenting – Barchemagazine.com – Excerpted from Barche, April 2026)
