Gastón Acurio is a Peruvian chef and ambassador of Peruvian cuisine. He is the owner of international restaurants and author of several books. In Peru he's also the host of his own television program and contributes to several magazines.
Gaston studied law (expecting to succeed his father in a political career) in Lima then Madrid, but dropped out to learn how to cook, enrolling at first an hotelier school in Spain then le Cordon Bleu in Paris.
In 1994, he returned to Peru and applied his new knowledge of international cuisine to Peruvian ingredients and recipes, opening his first restaurant, Astrid & Gastón. Today, together with his wife Astrid, he owns restaurants across the Latin world and in America.
About MAD:
MAD is a non-profit transforming our food system by giving chefs and restaurateurs the skills, community, time, and space to create real and sustainable change. MAD is a non-profit organization that inspires and empowers cooks, servers, and eaters to create sustainable change. From luminaries in the field to young apprentices, we’re connecting individuals and equipping them to make a difference in their restaurants and the world.