Apega… achieving success

We became established at the end of 2007 as the Peruvian Gastronomy Society (Apega, among friends) and in just two years we have achieved what few thought was possible: bringing together the principal players in Peruvian gastronomy and cooking up a menu of activities that, looking outside our frontiers, would make our cuisine an international buzzword, and, looking inward, would rescue and revalue regional cuisines cooked on carob wood fires.

Preserving the excellence of the products from our fields and fishing coves, and encouraging the training of young people in cooking schools such as the one we are opening in Pisco, with the support of the technical training institute, Senati, are the ingredients that prove the soundness of our project: to promote Peru’s gastronomy, strengthen national identity and position Peru as a top ranking travel destination.

That is Apega’s essence. We bring together gastronomes, nutritionists, farmers, artisanal fishermen, restaurateurs, cooks, enologists, market stall vendors, and journalists, to consolidate the growth of Peruvian gastronomy without excluding anyone.

To achieve this, we have organized national competitions for young Peruvian cooks, to win two internships in Spain, and we are now absorbed in one of our most ambitious challenges: to remodel the Surquillo Market Nº1 and break the paradigms held by its merchants to turn it into the best market in the region.

In three years, and thanks to the support of our associates, private enterprise and the State, we plan to give the country the first food market with sanitation and client service standards in the best style of the Boqueria in Barcelona.  And our cuisine deserves this, a space where produce, the ingredients that melt the epicurean palate, are displayed to match their lineage and ancient history.

Last September, we organized Lima’s second International Gastronomy Fair, named Mistura, a potpourri, and which we aim to make one of the best in the world. Additionally, one of our projects is to create the Peruvian Gastronomy and Produce Trust, which will bring together representatives of the State, private enterprise, regions, universities and APEGA to outline strategies to promote our cuisine and create synergy between the different sectors.

But we are not resting on our laurels. The celebration of the International Year of the Potato, the campaign in the use and conservation of fisheries resources, carrying out training workshops and APEGA’s consolidation in the regions, and publishing a unique book on hot peppers, are just some of the work we have accomplished. A task blended in the aromas of aguaymanto berries and maize beer that lead to a proud and never-ending celebration.

Apega Board:
Gastón Acurio (President), Mariano Valderrama (Executive Vicepresident)
Directors: Isabel Álvarez, María Rosa Arrarte, Patricia Dalmau, Johan Leuridan, Adolfo Perret, Bernardo Roca Rey, Johnny Schuler, Héctor Solís.

Contact Us: Avenida Saenz Peña 203, Barranco, telephones (551) 256-1580 y (551) 256-1705, asistente@apega.pe

What the fair left us

The second International Gastronomy Fair of Lima, Mistura, was a success from every angle. More than 100,000 visitors, producers from 13 regions, the participation of international chefs, the thousands of cooking school students who enjoyed master classes free of charge, and the broad media impact, are undoubtedly reasons for celebration.

But over and above the financial interests that most fairs seek, Mistura’s aim is to promote Peruvian gastronomy as a driver for development. To accomplish this, we encourage a broad public-private alliance and an agreement between non-profit and business institutions.

The Fair’s leadership and basic organizational work was carried out by the associates of the Peruvian Society of Gastronomy (Apega), who worked intensely and pro bono for many months prior to the event.

We also had the support of San Martin de Porres University, the Catholic University, the Embassy of Mexico, and the cooking schools affiliated to Apega, which provided at no charge the brigades of students and teachers to work at the Fair. This platoon of white aprons supported the cooking classes, round table discussions, the traditional food stalls, and the Apega stand.

Coupled with this support was the help of a group of large companies that provided financial aid or services. These included Franca, Banco Continental, Ransa, Inca Kola, Lan and Sodexo. Additionally, PromPeru provided resources and invited an important group of foreign journalists. The Ministry of Production set up an exhibition tunnel of marine biodiversity, and other government ministries set up stands to exhibit Peru’s agricultural products and flag products such as Pisco.

We must also mention the decisive collaboration of Conveagro, the National Farm Producers Association (ANPE), and environmental networks to set up the Grand Market. This space was set aside to facilitate the participation of delegations from small farming communities on the coast, in the highlands and from the jungle. We also received the support of regional governments, which provided the cross-country transport to the fair for their producers and products.

It is worth emphasizing that the admittance fee of 20 soles (approx $6) has been partly used to:

-Allow 3,000 cooking school students and cooks to listen to the best chefs of Peru, Latin America and the world, free of charge.

-Allow the best food stall cooks and representatives of traditional cuisine from Lima and all the regions, to be able to participate in the Fair free of charge.

-Allow hundreds of farmers and community market merchants to bring their products to the Fair without paying a cent.

-Offer a free film showing and photographic exhibition of the history of gastronomy and of marketplaces.

-Enjoy cultural and music shows.

-Facilitate the participation of Mexico as a special guest, with a restaurant, a taco stall, an exhibition of Talavera pottery, conference speakers, movies, and books.  

Who organizes Mistura?

Apega is the organizer, a non-profit institution that represents no corporate interests and only seeks to promote Peruvian gastronomy as an instrument for development of the country.

It promotes projects such as:

-Relaunching the emblematic supply markets of Lima and throughout Peru. We began in Surquillo, but now we are also working with the Lince-Lobaton market and want to broaden our project to other markets.

-Launching this quarter a cooking school in Pisco with SENATI, the technical training institute, geared to attract the low-income population in the Pisco area who were affected by the 2007 earthquake.

-Implementation of a chain to integrate the supply of fish and shellfish from San Andres, Pisco, to hotels and restaurants affiliated to Apega, to Lima markets and to a group of popular cebiche restaurants. The interest is in promoting responsible fishing and sanitary certification of the products.

-Promotion of Peru’s flagship products such as aji peppers, native potatoes, exotic fruits from the rainforest, quinoa, maize and cacao. We have published a full-color book on Peruvian ají peppers, called Seasoning for the World, in a 20,000 print run available at an affordable price and copies of which will be donated to a number of libraries throughout the country.

Comparative Data between the Fairs of 2009 and 2008:

Restaurants: 12 (2008) 33 (2009)

Grand Market: 60 stands (2008) 223 stands (2009)

Regions: 4 (2008) 13 (2009)

Traditional Food Carts: 20 (2008) 69 (2009)

Restaurants for the Connoisseur: 1 (2008) 4 (2009)

Rustic Restaurants: 2 (2008) 5 (2009)

Conference Speakers 34 (2008) 44 (2009), 33 Peruvians and 11 foreigners

Cinema: None (2008) Yes (2009)

Tunnel of Biodiversity: None (2008) Yes (2009)

Area: 12,000 sq. meters (2008) 110,000 sq. meters (2009)

Box Office: 17, 378 (2008) 79, 838 (2009)

Total Visitors: close to 30,000 (2008) 100,000 (2009)

Breads given as taste samples: 140,000 in 18 varieties (2008) 400,000 in 40 varieties (2009)

 
The Grand Market
During the four days of the fair, the products that were most sold were aji peppers (4 tons), native potatoes (5 tons) Amazonian fruits (5 tons), processed products (8 tons), grains (4 tons), and other products (4 tons). The average food purchase ticket was S/.4.5, which gives a total of S/.148,500 in product movement, with approximately 33 tons of products sold.  

All the products were sold by the producers themselves, who came from all over Peru, and at prices that were 1000 percent higher than what the farmers are paid in the field. This means that high quality products are finally being recognized for their real value and worth in the market, and this should help to definitely lift producers out of their backward situation.

Miscellaneous:

1. Aunt Grimanesa of Enrique Palacios St. in Miraflores, prepared 11,000 anticucho kebabs. Each to order, one by one, just as she always does on her corner. People stood in line for an hour. Just like on her corner.
2. Pochita, from Julio C. Tello St. in Lince, cooked up 7,500 portions of tripe with the same success as Grimanesa.
3. The Chinaman served 5,000 pork and crackling sandwiches, each to order.
4. The Mavery baked close to 4,000 empanadas.
5. Curich chilled the weary with 2,500 frozen fruit whips.
6. The one and only Fidel melted 8,000 palates with his famous tiger’s milk.
7. The Tucunare of the Amazon wrapped 2,500 juanes, similar to the tamale.
8. The witchdoctor from Tumbes served 2,500 portions of oysters.
9. Claudio, the herbal drink maker from Surco, served 8,000 glasses.
10. Carmen Villar sweetened the fair with 3,000 portions of her traditional Peruvian desserts.

 
Canapé:
One fifth of the Mistura Fair costs were financed through the sale of stands to large and medium businesses. Until two days prior to the fair, only 10,624 entrance tickets had been sold. The remainder were sold at the door throughout the event.