Gastón Acurio

{{short description|Peruvian chef}}

{{Redirect-distinguish|Acurio|Akurio (disambiguation){{!}}Akurio}}

{{BLP sources|date=March 2011}}

{{Infobox chef

| image = Gastón Acurio realizó conversatorio en la ADP sobre la proyección externa de la gastronomía peruana.jpg

| name = Gastón Acurio |

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|10|30}}

| birth_place = Lima, Peru

| style = Peruvian

| education = Le Cordon Bleu, Paris

| restaurants = Astrid & Gastón, Café del Museo, T'anta, La Mar, Pasquale Hnos.

| television = Aventura Culinaria

}}

Gastón Acurio Jaramillo (born October 30, 1967) is a Peruvian chef and ambassador of Peruvian cuisine. He owns several restaurants in various countries, and is the author of several books. In Peru, he is the host of a television program and contributes to culinary magazines.[https://cosas.pe/personalidades/121280/worlds-best-restaurants-gaston-acurio/ The World's 50 Best Restaurants reconocerá a Gastón Acurio por su trayectoria][https://panamericanworld.com/revista/viajes-y-cultura/gaston-acurio-peru/ Gastón Acurio: el chef peruano que ha conquistado el mundo]

He started Pasquale Hnos., a Peruvian sangucheria or fast-food restaurant focused on Peruvian sandwiches; it did not fulfill his vision and he left the project.{{cite web|title=Gastón le dijo adiós a Pasquale|url=http://laplazaperu.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/gaston-le-dijo-adios-a-pasquale/}}

In 2018 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.{{Cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-best-restaurants-2018/index.html|title=World's best restaurant for 2018|date=2018-06-19|work=CNN Travel|access-date=2018-11-18|language=en}}

According to a study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) about innovation in Peruvian cuisine (2022), Acurio's influence on the cuisine of Peru and Latin America —where Europe has traditionally been regarded as a model of haute cuisine— has been very significant.Julio Elías, Alvaro Garcia, Ian Mount y Maja Schling , 2022.[https://publications.iadb.org/en/analysis-innovation-perus-gastronomic-industry "Analysis of Innovation in Peru's Gastronomic Industry"] Inter-American Development Bank. More than anyone else, he renewed Peruvian cuisine and thus paved the way for a remarkable generation of Peruvian chefs. Other innovative chefs from Peru, such as Virgilio Martínez, Micha Tsumura, Pedro Schiaffino, Toshi Matsufuji and Hector Solís, have acknowledged a debt to him and consider him their community builder and leader.

In 2019, the IDB chose him to teach the Enrique V. Iglesias Chair on Culture and Development. On that occasion, Trinidad Zaldívar, head of the IDB's Creativity and Culture Unit, said at its headquarters in Washington, DC: "This was a recognition to Gastón for his work promoting the progress of Latin America and the Caribbean through gastronomy. And we want it to also be an inspiration for the thousands of entrepreneurs and innovators in the region, who are committed to the potential of the Orange Economy to contribute to the economic and social development of their countries".Ortega, A. 2019. [https://www.iadb.org/es/mejorandovidas/ingredientes-para-emprender-la-historia-del-chef-mas-famoso-de-peru "Ingredientes para Empredener: La historia del Chef más famoso del Perú"] Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo.