Nikkei cuisine today

Today in Brazil and Peru, Nikkei cuisine is gaining popularity and is enjoyed both at home and in restaurants by Nikkei and non-Nikkei populations alike. In São Paulo, the Michelin-starred Nikkei chef Tsuyoshi Murakami heads one of the most coveted tables in the city, as does Adriano Kanashiro at Momotaro, whose foie gras and tuna sushi has become legendary. Shin Koike of Aizome, a Japanese national who immigrated as recently as 1994, has been a great inspiration for me and is pioneering the use of native Amazonian fruits and plants in his Nikkei cooking. In Lima, Mitsuharu Tsumura of Maido (ranked 7th in the 50 Best Restaurants of Latin America in San Pellegrino’s list) offers perhaps the most sophisticated expression of Nikkei cuisine in Peru. Toshiro Konishi, considered by many to be the father of Peruvian Nikkei cuisine, is one of the most celebrated chefs in the land. Hajime Kasuga is a lecturer in Nikkei and Japanese cooking at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Cookery School in Lima and is a true ambassador for both cuisines.