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Pia León knows what she wants and goes after it. And back in 2008, at just 21 and with internships at El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain and The Ritz in Naples under her belt, what she wanted was to work with chef Virgilio Martínez.
“[Everyone] around Lima was talking about him, so I was very curious,” says León of the then-rising Peruvian star, who after years of traveling and exploring cuisines around the world helped catapult Lima’s Astrid y Gastón restaurant into the spotlight before setting out to open his own. Without hesitation, she walked right into the construction site of what was to become one of the world’s best restaurants, Central Restaurante, and asked Martínez for a job.
Ten years later, and the pair are not only still working together, but married and living above their newly-opened, multi-level complex of eateries in Lima’s Barranco barrio. Located on the neighborhood’s main street, Avenue Pedro de Osma, the cluster of restaurants lies behind an unassuming gate, where a front garden grows the likes of quinoa and rosemary: There’s Central, famed for its 18-courses, each reflecting one of Peru’s various altitudes (from 75 feet below sea level to 13,000 feet above it); Mayo, a casual—but still swanky—cocktail and tapas bar; and, as of August, Kjolle, a refined but approachable restaurant led by León, where diners can order an eight-course tasting menu or à la carte. (Try the tubers, a Crayola-colored mixture of potatoes and root veggies thinly sliced into ribbons and served on top of a savory tart.)
León's "departure" from Central to her own kitchen was of little shock to those in the food industry—except, maybe her husband. “I was surprised. I didn’t know she wanted to leave!” Martínez riffs. (She didn't go very far: Kjolle is located up a set of stairs from Central, and Martínez and León are still very much partners.) Jokes aside, Martínez says he gets it: “I think it’s a natural process. It happened to me after ten years of working for other people, too. I wanted my own version of what I think is good food. She had the same feeling.”
It’s already paying off. Just this week, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, an annual compendium that celebrates the world’s most dynamic food and the chefs who craft it, named León Latin America’s Best Female Chef. (Central has been on the list since 2013 and Martínez, who also has his own episode of Chef’s Table, received the Chef’s Choice Award in 2017.)
We sat down with León just before the start of lunch service at Kjolle (pronounced koi-yay) in September—as staff cleansed the space with burning Palo Santo—to talk corn, working alongside her husband, and why she’s eager to dig into the Amazon.
After years of working together in the kitchen, what sets you and Virgilio apart?
The two of us are really focused. We’re really consistent with how we work, but he is a more calm person and I am speedier. I’m quick with decisions and Virgilio is more intellectual. We complement each other.
How does Kjolle differ from Central?
The idea was always to be connected. We receive the same ingredients, but Central does it one way—scientifically, with the same altitude on each plate—while at Kjolle, we focus only on the product, so I don’t have to think too much about the ecosystems or elevation. If I like something from the coast, I can mix it with some Andean products, for example.
Do you have a favorite ingredient?
I really love corn. When I was very little [growing up in Lima], my mother always made humitas and tamales for the whole family. Since then, I've watched people in the mountains make different kinds of corn dough, and now I do my own version using purple corn at Kjolle.
What is Kjolle, exactly?
It’s a yellow flower that we ferment to make spirits and sauces. When we went to [our Sacred Valley restaurant] MIL, we walked around a lot and saw it growing on the trees. The history is that it’s a tree that grows high up so it doesn’t have anything in its way. Phonetically we really liked it, too.
There are a lot of women in the kitchen at Kjolle. Was that purposeful?
It just happened in a natural way. Actually, I must say, in Kjolle there's not much difference between people working in the dining room and in the kitchen. From time to time, the cooks serve [the food themselves] and explain the dishes during service.
Why did you choose to live on site?
When we decided to move [Central], I told Virgilio, ‘Okay, let’s do it. But we have to also live there.’ It’s impossible otherwise because we have a little child, Cristobal. I’m going to be in charge of Kjolle, but Central is like my home and my family.
Does Cristobal come into the kitchen?
Yes, all day! When he finishes school he comes and eats chocolates. And at night, he comes down in his PJs. He loves the gardens, too. It’s like our own mini ecosystem.
Word has it that a restaurant in the Amazon is next. What excites you about this region?
Different ways of cooking, and a thousand possibilities for using different ingredients and connecting to nature. There is a feeling of knowing very little about what's around you when you walk into the jungle—both with the life and the food.