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By Diana P. Olano

With the exception of major cities such as Los Angeles, Miami and New York, Peruvian food doesn't get much of a spotlight in the states. The Peruvian restaurant chain Pardo's Chicken, which has locations in cities like Lima, Piura and Santiago de Chile, has claimed a few locales on the east and west coasts of the U.S. But what happens to everyone in between? Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the most diverse in the world. For pete's sake, Lima was named the "Gastronomic Capital of the Americas" by the Fourth International Summit of Gastronomy Madrid Fusión in 2006. Many consider it the world's most important gastronomic forum, so you know this is serious stuff. For the rest of the rest of America--and the world--to not know what dishes like ceviche and ají de gallina taste like is, let's face it, tragic.

Something wonderful has recently happened, however. A few months ago, one woman helped a beloved Peruvian dish propel itself into the American-dining limelight. 51 year-old Amparo Alam, a native Limeña, won the Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown with her "Peruvian Herb-Roasted Chicken". The dish is obviously a take on Peru's Pollo a la Brasa, but with a few of her personal touches. Served along with a side of fried sweet potato fries, the chicken rounded up 99 of the 100 points needed to win the competition. Basically, one more point and it would've been a perfect score. Seriously, how cool is that? The grand prize featured not only a $25,000 check, but the opportunity for her dish to be served on the menu of American restaurant chain, T.G.I. Friday’s. If people over there weren't familiar with Peruvian food before, they will be now.

The story is simple enough. Amparo came to the United States to find a better life for herself. Leaving a marketing job back in Lima, the Miraflorina first arrived in the glitzy beach town of Newport Beach, California. Working as a waitress, it was at that restaurant where she met her husband, Ron. After realizing life in Cali was too darn expensive, they moved to Syracuse, Utah. Finding more tranquility there for their family, they settled down with their two children: 14 year-old Rhani and 13 year-old Rhandi. It was Rhani who encouraged his mom to enter the Food Network contest.

"It was around 11:30 p.m. I had already entered a few others and was tired, so I told my son I'd submit more in the morning, but he was persistent, so I added one last one - the chicken recipe. The next morning, I went to add a few more and saw that the contest had closed! 'I told you!' said my son.” A few months later, she received a call from a man named Jacob who informed her he was from the Food Network. "At first, I thought it was my husband playing a joke on me and told him, 'yeah right! you're not from Food Network…”. Suffice to say, she had to apologize. Butchering the terms, Jacob asked where he could obtain the ingredients "ají" and "huacatay", a spice and herb native to Peru. "I swear, it messed with my mind. I had no idea what he was talking about!" She eventually understood his request and so began the race to the top.

More than 1000 recipes were submitted to the competition. Out of those, they were narrowed down to 300. And from 300 to 54. Those 54 recipes would make up the six categories featured during the show: pasta, cakes, comfort foods, burgers, cookies and chicken. Out of the many Peruvian recipes she submitted--alfajores, tacu tacu con lomo saltado, tallarines verdes con bisteck apanizado--her chicken recipe impressed the judges the most and got her to the finals. Up against Michelle Anderson, winner of last year's National Chicken Cooking Contest in the states, Amparo had her work cut out for her. "When Marc Summers (host) looked at me with that 'I’m sorry' face, I knew it was over and thought, 'at least I got the experience' but when they revealed that I had 99 points, I almost felt like fainting!"

Amparo and her husband spent three days living like kings during the filming of the show. "They provided everything! A car to get around in, hotel, all the comforts you can possibly want." And the actual filming was just as fun for Amparo who spent her days joking and playing around with the kitchen staff that helped her prep for the show. "When a Peruvian finds a place to have fun, why shouldn’t they?"

Her current residence, Syracuse, Utah, has two Peruvian restaurants. "They're both terrible," says Amparo. "And what's worse is that they charge a lot for bad food." Now with some capital and a ton of support behind her, Amparo hopes to open her own Peruvian restaurant in Syracuse. "I'm going to make my favorite Peruvian dishes, served in good portions, but charge moderately." The way it should be anywhere, I think. "And my sauces and ají's won't be watered down. Pure ají with oil and other condiments, nothing else."

Papa a la Huancaina, ceviche and arroz con leche are some of Amparo's favorite Peruvian dishes and desserts. She learned how to make them thanks to her mother, Theresa de Molina. "My mom taught everyone. She made us cook, telling us that "you have to learn everything in your household to know how to take care of yourself and your family. Eventually, curiosity got the better of me and I started cooking out of pure will, trying new dishes and new combinations." Her children are big fans of those combinations, frequently asking she cook them Peruvian food. "They're fascinated by spinach mashed potatoes. I use frozen papas amarillas (yellow potatoes) that they sell at a store here called “El Chevere”--the secret is to steam the potatoes--and they just love it!" And since their dad is of Palestinian descent, they also enjoy that part of their culture. "But they have a respect and love for all foods of their background," enjoying grape leaves as much as they love their pollo a la brasa.

Cooking her native country's food is a way that helps Amparo stay connected, considering that the last time she stepped foot on Peruvian soil was 12 years ago. "Of course I miss it. Peru es lo maximo!" Her mom visits her most often, every two to three years, but she hasn't seen her sisters since she left. Thanks to the competition, she will use some of the money to finally visit Lima with her family. "The first thing I'm going to do is to get to know my nieces and nephews. I left them when they were babies. Then I'm going to take them all for some criolla food!" She also wants her children to get to know her old stomping grounds in Miraflores. "My family has lived their whole lives in Miraflores. I have roots there. I want my children to see where I've been, where I've walked. I'm taking them to Club Regatas, the new water fountain park I've heard so much about, Lima's beaches, the school where I studied... I want them to know everything." Not one to sugarcoat anything, Amparo also wants her kids to know that life in Peru is wonderful but world completely different from what they know. "Peru has a beautiful culture, amazing architecture, magnificent food, friendly people, but there is also a lot of poverty. I want them to see that side of Lima, too"

Like many Peruvians who leave the motherland for other countries, Amparo has taken her culture with her, a sign of undeniable pride. That right there is why she is so happy to have won the “Ultimate Recipe Showdown” contest. "The thing I liked most about this whole experience: that finally, a Peruvian dish came to light. That's what’s most important to me, what's most valuable.” The most important elements in her dish are Peruvian ingredients, ají and huacatay. And it couldn't make her more proud. "What I wanted most was to represent Peruvian food. And the pride I felt after winning... finally! A Peruvian dish displayed on this huge television network. Amazing.”

A fan of the “The Barefoot Contessa” and “Everyday Italian” on the Food Network, Amparo wishes there were a program over there that featured true Latin American food. "The focus here is on Central-American food: Mexican food, Cuban... or everything is Italian. But where are the Chinese food programs? If all these cuisines can make it big in the states, why can't Peruvian food?" Maybe now, thanks to Amparo, it can.



To view Amparo’s recipe, click here:

And if you’re in the states and want to try the “Peruvian Herb-Roasted Chicken”, click here to find T.G.I. Friday’s locations.