At the beginning of a new cycle of exploration, chef Jaime Pesaque redefines the connection between creativity and hospitality through an integrated culinary ecosystem comprising Yachay and his flagship restaurant, Mayta. Together, both spaces operate as a platform where learning, curiosity, and research translate into a renewed dining experience for 2026.
From a Patch to Learning Behind the Kitchen
Yachay used to be the name of a patch of land on Pesaque’s family land where they explored cultivating the vegetable featured on the restaurant’s tasting menu. Now, it serves as the creative exploration center behind Mayta.
The name Yachay comes from Quechua and means to know, to learn, or to understand, a concept of knowledge that guides the team’s entire creative process. Here, research meets intuition to develop what Pesaque describes as a new culinary language.
“We are Mayta’s creative spirit, the kitchen behind the kitchen. A warm, intuitive space with absolute freedom to reinvent through passion,” explains the Pesaque.
This process is fueled by constant expeditions across Peru, with recent attention focused on the Amazon region. Each journey brings discoveries that extend beyond ingredients, incorporating cultural references, traditions, and new sources of inspiration. Yachay becomes the laboratory where these findings take shape, a space of experimentation where curiosity turns into action.
Telling the Journey
If Yachay represents the process, Mayta is the result. The restaurant serves as a narrative of Pesaque’s travels across Peru, expressed through a contemporary fine-dining experience. This relationship allows regional discoveries to reach diners.
“At Yachay, we explore and create with emotion and instinct the language that we later speak at Mayta,” says Pesaque.
As part of this evolution, Mayta just introduced a renewed tasting menu in February 2026. The new proposal reflects lessons learned during recent explorations, translating collected ingredients and inspirations into a personal interpretation within the restaurant’s culinary vision.
IN THE KNOW: Mayta has been recognized on several occasions as one of the best restaurants in the world by the World Culinary Awards, the world’s 50 Best, and the regional Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
Mayta
Av. Mariscal La Mar 1285, Miraflores, Lima
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Reservations: www.maytalima.com / +51 937 220 734
