Princess Diana, 20th anniversary of her death

August 31st 2017 marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. I never met her, nor did I ever see her in real life, but she touched me and millions of others with her smile, kindness and incredibly big heart. May her legacy live on forever.

Photo's taken at MATE, Museo Mario Testino, in Lima, Peru.
Read more about this amazing museum here:
http://tarasdolcevita.blogspot.nl/2015/05/mate-museo-mario-testino-lima-peru.html

Second photo courtesy of MATE, Museo Mario Testino.

Chilcano cocktails

Following the popularity of the Peruvian cuisine, Pisco sour has become a famous cocktail. Another cocktail from Peru that is not as well known yet is Chilcano. Chilcano is made with pisco, ginger ale, a few drops of bitters and some ice cubes. And I have to admit... I like it even better than pisco sour, Peru's national drink.

The primary ingredient in chilcano is (just like in pisco sour), pisco, a brandy similar to italian grappa. But it's lighter, fresher. My first and best chilcano ever, was at restaurant Mayta in Lima and it was prepared by bartender Renzo Amaya. He has won several awards for making the best cocktails based on pisco.

To mix a chilcano, you can also use pisco infusions, called "macerados" (second photo), made with fruit, leaves or roots. I especially loved the ones made with mango, camu camu and goldenberry. Although it will never taste as good as in Peru, I tried to make chilcanos at home.... and they turned out pretty well if I may say so myself (last photo). Salud!

Read more about Mayta here:
http://tarasdolcevita.blogspot.nl/2015/04/restaurant-mayta-lima-peru.html

Mistura... Foodlovers Heaven!

Mistura, the biggest food festival in Latin America, starts today! So if you’re in Lima, you should definitely stop by! It’s an outdoor fair, that offers food from every part of Peru and beyond. From Amazonian “chaufa” to coastal “ceviche”, from Creole cuisine to traditional Inca dishes, from Chinese “lomo saltado” to italian style “gnocchi”, from fast-food to superfoods, from pisco cocktails to “marine viagra”…. It’s all there.

Healthfood junkies wil love the superfoods section, where they will find chia seeds, quinoa in any form imaginable, tropical fruits and vegetables, sugar cane juice, green detox smoothies and more. For vegetarians there is little choice I have to say, but the wonderful atmosphere and delicious drinks make up for it.

Make sure that you bring your walking shoes and a big appetite, because the fairgrounds are huge! Last year I was there and I was impressed by the big variety of dishes. But I’m not a big eater, so after having tried a couple of things, we headed over to the cocktail department, which wasn’t too bad either…

While in some countries food festivals consist mainly of street or junk food, at Mistura you will be able to find famous, award-winning chefs, such as Gastón Acurio (Astrid e Gastón), Virgilio Martínez  (Central), Mitsuharu Tsumura  (Maido) and Jaime Pesaque (Mayta). But that shouldn’t come as a surprise to foodlovers, as these Peruvian chefs are among the most influential in the world. Infact, in 2014 Virgilio Martínez’ Central was voted No. 1 in Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list!

Peruvians are serious about their food. And as you can see in the photos, they’re serious about hygiene as well! Practically every chef, cook and bartender wore a disposable face mask. (Not very photogenic, but hey, what can you do?)

It was great to see how the locals had fun eating together with family and friends. Kids running around, young couples enjoying the food and each other’s company. Mistura lasts 10 days (4-13 september 2015), so there’s still plenty of time to book a plane ticket and go!

For more information, please visit:
http://mistura.pe/english-info

Special thanks to PromPeru and USP Marketing PR!

MATE, Museo Mario Testino, Lima, Peru

When Mario Testino's museum MATE opened in july 2012, I remember thinking "I wish one day I could go and visit, but it's so far away"... not knowing that my dream would come true only two years later!

When people visit Peru, Machu Picchu is usually one of the higlights of their trip. Well, Machu Picchu is of course breathtakingly beautiful, but for me, visiting Mario Testino's museum was the best part of my visit to Peru! Standing in the museum of my longtime inspirator, example, hero... I can hardly describe how amazing that felt.

The building itself is a piece of art. The 19th century townhouse in the bohemian district Barranco, was competely restored with the utmost love and care, turning it into a non-profit museum, "to cultivate and promote culture in Peru".

MATE hosts the only permanent exhibition of Mario Testino's work in the world. There are rooms dedicated to his various objects of attention (and desire): models, movie stars, performers, royalty, as well as traditonally dressed Peruvians.

The first room is dedicated to Kate Moss. Here you'll see one of her (and his) most famous portraits, the one with the turquoise, green, white and red paint on her face. It's such a strong and attracting image! I still remember seeing it in the "Portraits"exhibition in 2003 in Amsterdam.

The second room is all about another supermodel, Gisele Bündchen. Mario Testino was actually credited for turning her into a super model. His photos of her are sizzling hot! Their Latin American roots and energy work really well together. But then again, Testino portrays everyone as the most beautiful version of themselves.

Other rooms are dedicated to Madonna, (movie) stars such as Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow, the fashion scene, including many stunning group pictures and last but not least to Diana, Princess of Wales. This room had a very serene atmosphere. The beautiful, happy pictures of her, together with the Versace dress she wore, show an important part of history.

While I was there, there was also a temporary exhibition "Alta Moda", a series of portraits of traditionally dressed Peruvians from the Andean highlands (alta means high, but also refers to "haute couture"). They were just as beautiful and self confident as the models and superstars in the other rooms! And rightly so. Their costumes are amazing! They must have taken so much time and energy to make.

MATE is a modern museum with a lovely café and -even better- a wonderful gift shop! I always love museum shops, but this one is my all time favourite...! Photography books, postcards and magnets with Testino's famous photos on it, t-shirts, plates, candles, his collection of Peruvian accessories (which was initially sold via net-a-porter)... and on and on. I literally wanted to take everything home!!!

Next time you're in Peru, put Mario Testino's museum on the top of your list! I can't wait to go back one day.

For more information please visit:
http://www.mate.pe
http://www.mariotestino.com

For more information about Peru:
http://www.peru.travel

All photos courtesy of Mario Testino (except those with my logo on it).

Special thanks to Jose Carlos of PromPeru and USP Marketing PR.

Restaurant Mayta, Lima, Peru

Did you know Peru is the hottest culinary destination right now? Three chefs from Lima actually made it to the top ten of "Latin Americas's 50 Best Restaurants" in 2014! While I was in Lima I was overwhelmed by the enormous amount of good restaurants. Mayta is one of them.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mayta's chef Jaime Pesaque, a rising star in the culinary world. In the past he worked in Italy and Spain (in a three Michelin star restaurant), but make no mistake, his signature dishes are definitely Peruvian. He showed me how he prepares "tiradito" a dish similar to the renowned "ceviche", however without the onions and the fish is not completely raw.

Watching chef Jaime Pesaque working his magic was wonderful, tasting his pieces of art was even better! The same can be said about the mouthwatering cocktails prepared by bartender Renzo Amaya. He has won several awards for making the best cocktails based on pisco. Well, let me tell you... rightly so!

The Peruvian version of limoncello was invented here, pi-cello, made of -you guessed that right- pisco. Like its big italian brother, picello is a very strong liqueur, so be careful! I personally loved the chilcano cocktails made with black corn, camu camu and goldenberry infused pisco. But then again, what's not to like at Mayta?

Restaurant Mayta opened its doors in 2010 becoming an instant hit among businessmen and young hipsters. According to The Diners Club® World's 50 Best Restaurants Academy "Chef Jaime Pesaque has become a global ambassador of Peruvian food [...] fusing the country's unique ingredients and seasonal produce with cutting-edge techniques". Enough reasons to pay Mayta a visit.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.maytarestaurante.com

For more information about Peru:
http://www.peru.travel

Special thanks to PromPeru and USP Marketing PR.