Peruvian culinary icon and Los Angeles-based chef Ricardo Zarate has teamed up with local chef Nic Watt for an exclusive collaboration.
Auckland food lovers are in for a rare treat as acclaimed Los Angeles-based Peruvian chef Ricardo Zarate teams up with chef-restaurateur Nic Watt for two exclusive dining experiences at INCA Ponsonby this month.
Lima-born Zarate, hailed as the "Godfather of Peruvian Cuisine", is the culinary force behind The Hummingbird, recently named Diner’s Choice by OpenTable and one of The Infatuation LA's "Best Restaurants of 2024”.
His innovative approach showcases the bold flavours of modern Peruvian cuisine, seamlessly blending indigenous South American ingredients with Japanese, Chinese, and European influences in a style known as Nikkei cuisine.
This collaboration will feature two exclusive events only, on Friday, 28 March and Saturday, 29 March.
Watt, who has been eager to bring Zarate to New Zealand for years, said he’s thrilled their schedules have finally aligned.
“I’m beyond excited to welcome Ricardo to INCA and showcase his incredible restaurant, The Hummingbird. Ricardo and I cooked together in London many years ago, and his mastery of Nikkei cuisine is unmatched,” said Watt.
“Two great friends, reunited in the kitchen, sharing our passion for the flavors of Asia and Latin America - it’s going to be something special.”
For Zarate, this will be his first visit to New Zealand, one he has dreamed of for years.
“New Zealand has been on my bucket list forever, and after the challenges we’ve faced in LA, this opportunity came at just the right time, so when Nic graciously invited me to collaborate on these two special events, I knew it was fate reuniting us after 15 years,” said Zarate.
“After cooking together in London, we got separated when I moved to Los Angeles and he to Auckland. I could not be more excited to work with Nic again and share my style of Nikkei cuisine from The Hummingbird, using incredible Kiwi local ingredients at INCA.”
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