Internationally acclaimed Peruvian chef, restaurateur, activist, and philanthropist, Gastón Acurio, recognized as “the chef who brought Peruvian cuisine to the world,” will be honored with two prestigious awards this month: the Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards and the international Eckart Witzigmann Award (ECKART) for “Innovation” with his wife, Astrid Gutsche.
“A driving force in Peruvian cooking, Gastón has provided the vision, platform and voice to bring his country’s food to the forefront of the culinary world. He has shone a spotlight on the extraordinary and unique characteristics of Peruvian cuisine, which up until recently was Peru’s best-kept secret,” says William Drew, Group Editor of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. “He is without doubt incredibly worthy of the prestigious Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award.”
The award was determined by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ voting Academy comprising over 1,000 international restaurant industry experts. Previously, Astrid y Gastón, his flagship restaurant won the No.1 spot on the inaugural Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2013. The Lima-based restaurant has held a place on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list since 2011.
Acurio is the recipient of the ECKART 2018 award for “Innovation.” As part of this honor, Acurio will also receive a donation of 50.000€ from BMW to be given to a charity of his choice. Since 2012, the BMW Group and the Witzigmann Academy jointly present the Eckart Witzigmann Award for outstanding achievements in the categories: “Art of Cookery,” “Innovation,” “Art of Living” and “Creative Responsibility.” The partnership is based on creating an international platform for healthy eating, sustainable cuisine and responsible use of resources.
“Gastón Acurio focuses on the fundamental values of cooking: quality, creativity and regionality,” says Eckart Witzigmann. “Acurio’s social commitment, which aims to use culinary creations to develop his country into a brand and lead it to prosperity, merits the award for the ‘Innovation’.”
The ECKART “Innovation” award will be presented at the ECKART Gala in New York on Thursday, June 14. Acurio will then be honored with the Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award 2018 at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ awards ceremony in Bilbao on Tuesday, June 19.
Acurio owns 50 restaurants worldwide and his U.S. roster is comprised of La Mar Cebicheria Peruana locations in San Francisco and Miami and Tanta in Chicago. This year marks the milestone anniversaries of two of Acurio’s stateside restaurants, Tanta Chicago (5 years) and La Mar San Francisco (10 years).
