From Lima to Hanoi: A symphony of culinary flavours at the 2025 Peruvian Culinary Week
WVR - From Lima to Hanoi, Nikkei cuisine—a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese flavours—spreads through the delicate craftsmanship of Pier López Mendizabal, a passionate and creative chef.
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| From Lima to Hanoi: Peruvian Culinary Week at Asias-Europe Career Orientation, July 10, 2025. (Source: Embassy of Peru in Vietnam) |
The 2025 Peruvian Culinary Week in Hanoi concluded, leaving lingering impressions not only on the palate but also through the cultural stories told on each plate.
Stoodout at the event was chef Pier López Mendizabal—head chef of YUNKA Nikkei restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City. Bringing to Hanoi a culinary experience that felt both novel and familiar, he showcased the unique cross-cultural journey he has meticulously cultivated over the past 15 years.
Defining a Culinary Identity
Pier López Mendizabal’s passion for cooking was kindled by family meals rich in Latin American flavors and his boundless curiosity about blending culinary traditions.
At age 20, he pursued his career by joining Maido—one of the world’s leading restaurants renowned for its unique Nikkei style, located in Lima, Peru’s capital.
During the five years there, he honed his skills and discovered a new world of flavors—where Japanese cooking techniques harmonized with Peru’s distinctive ingredients.
At Maido, Pier didn’t just learn to cook; he learned to tell stories through food, using the magical combination of Nikkei cuisine.
“I believe every chef carries their own dream. For me, one of those dreams is to work in many places around the world,” he shared.
After his time at Maido, he continued to work at major restaurants in Peru and eventually opened one of his own.
With the ambition of bringing Nikkei cuisine to new territories, he ventured to Africa and founded the region’s first Nikkei restaurant—a milestone marking the spread of Nikkei’s spirit beyond the Americas and Asia.
A Culinary Touchpoint in Vietnam
Pier López Mendizabal has always had a special fondness for Asian cuisines, particularly Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Thus, when the opportunity arose to work in a new market with a rich culinary heritage like Vietnam, he embraced it as part of realizing his dream.
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| From Lima to Hanoi: Chef Pier López Mendizabal demonstrating his culinary skills at Peruvian Culinary Week in Hanoi. (Source: Embassy of Peru in Vietnam) |
Since arriving in Vietnam, he has taken on the role of executive chef at YUNKA Nikkei in Ho Chi Minh City. There, he continues to merge the two culinary cultures while preserving Nikkei’s identity by using local ingredients and adjusting flavors to resonate with Vietnamese palates.
“Chef Pier Lopez Mendizabal has over 15 years of experience in Nikkei and traditional Peruvian cuisine. He is known for his creative use of seasonal ingredients, leadership skills, and refined menu design.” (Embassy of Peru in Vietnam)
The longer he stays in Vietnam, the more he recognizes the importance of adapting dishes to local tastes while retaining the essence of Nikkei cuisine.
Today, his cooking incorporates more local ingredients than imports from Japan or Peru. His goal is to bring Nikkei cuisine closer to Vietnamese diners, making it more familiar and widely embraced. This is not simply a shift in ingredients—it’s a journey to find cultural resonance, creating a “Vietnamese version of Nikkei.”
A Culinary Bridge
Recently, as part of Peruvian Culinary Week 2025 organized by the Embassy of Peru in Vietnam in collaboration with Asia-Europe Career Orientation, Pier López Mendizabal joined three other Peruvian chefs in showcasing the finest elements of Peruvian cuisine.
As part of the cultural celebrations for Peru’s National Day (July 28), this event attracted food enthusiasts, journalists, and culinary experts alike. The chefs’ presence was not just about introducing dishes—it symbolized the cultural connectivity that cuisine fosters.
Throughout the Culinary Week, Pier served signature Nikkei dishes such as ceviche (fish salad) and nigiri (tuna with anticucho sauce). These dishes highlighted the finesse of blending Japanese culinary techniques, Peruvian ingredients, and Vietnamese taste preferences.
What surprised and delighted Vietnamese diners was the subtle flavor adjustments—still citrusy but milder, still spicy but less fiery—and the clever use of familiar local spices to bridge the palate. According to Pier: “Vietnamese people are curious and refined in their approach to food.”
That is why he believes: “This will be an excellent place to develop my career and share Nikkei cuisine in a truly unique way.”
Pier carries the spirit of a storyteller in his culinary creations. Beyond simply crafting dishes, he seeks to harmonize different culinary traditions through carefully chosen ingredients and thoughtfully composed recipes.
The Peruvian chef also hopes to expand Nikkei’s presence in Vietnam in the future with more approachable formats, such as upscale street food concepts.
“I want Nikkei to exist not only in fine-dining restaurants but also in more familiar spaces, where everyone can experience and enjoy its unique fusion spirit.”
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| From Lima to Hanoi: Ceviche (fresh fish)—an iconic dish of Nikkei cuisine. (Source: Embassy of Peru in Vietnam) |
With passion, skill, and an open mind, Pier López Mendizabal is helping spread Nikkei cuisine—not only leaving a personal mark on his career journey but also building bridges that connect the culinary cultures of Peru, Japan, and Vietnam.
Unlike many food trends that shine briefly, Nikkei emerged and grew steadily within the Japanese immigrant community in Peru in the 19th century. Over more than 100 years, Nikkei has become not just a distinct culinary style but also a symbol of harmony and evolution.
By adapting cooking techniques and local ingredients to personal tastes, Japanese immigrants breathed new life into Peruvian cuisine. Examples include onigiri (Japanese rice balls) wrapped in dried seaweed but filled with salmon and potato; or replacing wasabi, traditionally served with sashimi, with a spicy sauce made from lime and local chilies to create tiradito.
(Source: Embassy of Peru in Vietnam)
