Lima’s Top (student) Chef

When I asked 18-year-old Vittana student Jeffery Nuñez for his secret recipe for rocoto relleno, my favorite signature Peruvian dish, he agreed but with one condition: first, I had to join him and his family for a home-cooked traditional lunch.

Happy to escape for an elongated lunch break, I accepted Jeffery’s invitation and traveled to his home in a small neighborhood in Vitarte, located in the outer eastern area of Lima.  After devouring a plate full of sweet potatoes, roasted chicken, spicy rice and a traditional purple corn-based drink known as chicha morada, (all expertly prepared by Jeffery and his mother) I desperately fought off my inevitable food coma so I could hear more about Jeffery’s plans for his future – but also, I must admit, to hold him to his promise to share some of his culinary expertise.

The Nuñez family eating lunch

My afternoon in the Nuñez home stands out as one of my favorite student visits not only because of the warm hospitality offered by Jeffery and his mother, but also because of Jeffery’s demonstrated commitment to his future and craft. Jeffery is using his Vittana loan to complete a vocational degree in culinary studies. At school, he learns about nutrition, the essential elements of Peruvian cuisine and restaurant management. In his free time, Jeffery puts his newly acquired skills to the test by hosting lunches for family and neighbors. Classes at the culinary institute and practice at home will prepare him for what he hopes will be his first real job upon graduation:  being hired as a sous chef in a hotel restaurant.

Boiling rocotos

Yet Jeffery has long-term ambitions as well. He dreams one day of opening and managing his own “critically-acclaimed seafood restaurant.”  While the Vittana loan may be the first step in his journey to chef superstardom, the loan serves an even more pragmatic and immediate purpose – it eases the substantial financial burden on Jeffery’s family. Despite serious health problems, Jeffery’s father drives a taxi from 6 am to 9 pm, six days a week.  Even with these long hours, he rarely has enough money to cover the family’s living and household expenses.  With a Vittana loan of only $650, Jeffery will complete his vocational program and have an earning potential of almost $700 per month – an income that will grant Jeffery both economic independence as well as the opportunity to help his family with monthly expenditures.

But the real magic of the Vittana loan is that while it helps one student like Jeffery receive a higher education, it often also indirectly helps other students in the same family. Jeffery’s older sister is in her third year of university where she studies elementary education. Even with a part-time job she still needs financial help from her father to pay expensive tuition. When Jeffery decided to enter the culinary institute, the family faced a difficult choice—pay for Jeffery’s program or help their daughter complete her university degree.  With the Vittana loan, the Nuñez family can invest in their daughter’s education without sacrificing Jeffery’s future.

Finished rocotos

Before I leave the Nuñez home, Jeffery delivers on his promise and gives me a ten-minute mini-course for my first attempt at rocoto relleno, a dish that hails from Arequipa, a city in southern Peru. The rocoto is a fiery, medium-sized red chili pepper whose uncanny resemblance to the common bell pepper has rendered many foreigners agonizingly speechless. Jeffry explains that the most critical part of cooking with the rocoto is the preparation.  Before stuffing the pepper, I must “clean” it by carefully scraping out the seeds and soaking it in sugar water for several hours.  If I don’t do this effectively, I risk shocking my dinner guests with an inedible and painful version of the dish.

In the end, Jeffry’s recipe served me well—although the dish wasn’t quite as good as if it had been from Jeffery’s kitchen, it came close enough. With a few extra glasses of water, my guests all enjoyed and eagerly devoured the delicious meal.

To make a loan to a Peruvian student like Jeffery, click here!

Tagged as: EDAPROSPO, fellows, peru, vocational education