Chef's Thoughts on Tokyo:
Bringing Peru's Vertical Ecology to Tokyo Diners
Located in the heart of Tokyo, in Chiyoda City, MAZ is a Peruvian restaurant offering a unique and innovative menu that will transport customers from the shores of Peru all the way to the country's high mountain tops. The restaurant opened on July 1, 2022, and in less than two years was awarded not one but two Michelin stars, while head chef Santiago Fernandez was named one of Forbes JAPAN 30 UNDER 30 in 2023.
How has MAZ, in such a short time, gained so much attention and prestige?
The restaurant's concept is one of the main driving factors behind its appeal, "The most important thing is we are using this vertical gaze concept," Fernandez explains, "We're taking the vision of Andean and Latin American culture, where we see life in a vertical world." Each dish on the nine-course menu explores Peru's biodiversity at different altitudes, created by Virgilio Martínez and championed at his restaurant Central in Lima, Peru.
"Here at MAZ we are cooking using the different ecosystems and biodiversity of Peru as inspiration, while also utilizing seasonal ingredients from Japan," Fernandez states. On the meaning of the restaurant's name, Fernandez says, "MAZ comes from the motto of Mater Iniciativa, our ingredient research center back in Peru: afuera hay más—outside there is more."
Tokyo is a Chef's Dream
The opportunity to open this unique restaurant in Tokyo came after participating in a Cook Japan Project in Tokyo. "In 2019 we were invited to cook for one week at a pop-up event," Fernandez says, "it was so successful that we were asked back the next year." The company that brought them over for the events, Granada, asked if they would be interested in opening a restaurant in Tokyo. Having Granada's experience, with over 25 restaurants across the country, was invaluable, "It was perfect, because it can be really hard to enter into a market as competitive as Japan if you don't have the background or connections."
Originally from Venezuela, Fernandez moved to Spain at 17 to study at the renowned Basque Culinary Center. His first internship was at Central, where he made a good impression, "They liked the way I worked and developed, and thought I would be a good fit as a creative developer." He was offered a job as soon as he graduated and relocated to Lima for five years, where he worked side by side with Martínez and traveled internationally to culinary events. Then Tokyo came knocking, "I think every chef in the world would say that their dream place to work or live or cook is Japan," Fernandez states.
Martínez gave Fernandez the opportunity to run the restaurant as head chef, and he and his team set themselves up here. "We really felt that Japan is a place that has the sensibility to understand our concept and is respectful enough to appreciate it," he says. "We came with very humble perspectives, understanding we are the ones who have to come and adapt as much as possible, while still keeping our essence intact."
Combining Cultures
Though the restaurant and cuisine are Peruvian, Fernandez and his team are experimenting and working with Japan's seasonal offerings, "We are crossing these two different ways of seeing life, the vertical from Latin America and the horizontal from Japan." The restaurant sources 80 percent of its seasonal ingredients in Japan, with the other 20 percent brought in from Peru. "I researched farms in Japan's countryside, and I realized that most of the ingredients we are used to working with in Peru are here as well."
Fernandez also discovered some farms were already harvesting Peruvian herbs, like chincho and huacatay. "There's already a pretty decent Peruvian community in Tokyo," he adds, "They are places where they buy their traditional ingredients, but the things we cannot find, that are a little bit special, we import them from Peru."
The Peruvian community has responded well to a restaurant of MAZ's caliber opening here in the city. "I think when they come to the restaurant they are really proud," he says, recalling a recent Peruvian guest who brought along his Japanese doctor and the doctor's wife to show them what his home country has to offer.
A City to Learn and Grow in
For Fernandez, it is not just about what he can offer Tokyo, but what he can gain. "I'm learning so much as a chef in every aspect, from my own staff in the kitchen to the customers." The dynamic between chef and customer in Japan is different from what he is used to, "It's very respectful, they expect so much from us and we expect so much from them. There is a non-verbal agreement where we are both committed to this moment. I think that's beautiful."
As MAZ's head chef Fernandez does not have much free time, most of which he spends visiting other restaurants. "I eat at so many other places that make me say 'This is the best restaurant that I've been to.' I do think the best restaurants are in Japan." These visits have been eye-opening for the Venezuelan chef, "I'm surprised at how much I'm learning! I think that's important, because if you don't go to eat at places that are at the same level as you, it's very hard to grow."
One restaurant in particular left a lasting impression on Fernandez, "Myoujyaku was an experience that changed my perspective as a chef." Like MAZ, the Japanese restaurant Myoujyaku was also awarded two Michelin stars in its first year. Seeing how traditional Japanese cuisine can be pushed while staying true to its roots was revelatory for Fernandez.
Offering Tokyo Something New
Moving to a new country and opening a high-level restaurant comes with challenges, though Fernandez does not view this as a negative. What he admires most about working here is the understanding of respect, "In Latin America and Western countries, the concept is there, but the follow through isn't like it is in Japan."
Tokyo is a city full of diverse and exquisite restaurants, but MAZ offers the city's culinary scene something entirely new. Fernandez says that timing was everything, "I think we came in at the right moment with something fresh, something that people may not find in other restaurants." It would appear that MAZ has indeed captured the imagination of Tokyo's residents, as the restaurant is fully booked.
Fernandez's biggest hope with MAZ's cuisine is that it can inspire people. "First, we want them to feel like they've had a journey, this full experience of traveling to Peru. When a customer tells me at the end of the experience that they are inspired, that's the best compliment I can get."
Fernandez himself is also on his own journey of inspiration, "I'm in this space where I am growing the restaurant, making the team grow with me, and growing personally as well. I think Tokyo is the perfect city for that."
Santiago Fernandez
