27 September,2026 10:24 AM IST | Mumbai | Nasrin Modak Siddiqi
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Curious is the best way to describe Chef Mitsuharu âMicha' Tsumura who travelled 33 hours, changing three planes for The Masters of Marriott Bonvoy and Culinary Culture dinners at the St Regis. Priced at Rs 60,000 per head, the dinners had sold out in minutes when announced. Last year, his restaurant Maido was named The World's Best Restaurant. And yet, he has zero airs. Instead, he kept crediting his team for the success.
The 45-year-old Japanese-Peruvian chef from Lima carries childlike curiosity about people, ingredients and the places that shape food more than rankings ever will. What does India taste like to him, what might Peru have in common with it, and what could he learn from this encounter? Tsumura trained in Japan before returning to Peru, where he opened Maido in 2009 after turning down a GM promotion at Lima's best hotel. Over 17 years, the restaurant has become his exploration of Nikkei, bringing Japanese technique into conversation with Peru's seafood, produce and culinary traditions and his secret weapon: ingredients from the Amazon Rainforest. It is a cuisine shaped by migration, adaptation and exchange, making India an intriguing new point of reference. "I've never had Indian seafood but am looking forward to having it at a local restaurant," he says.
His first impressions are not just about discovering unfamiliar flavours, but recognising familiar ideas. For instance, a simple bowl of dal at The Saheb Room caught his attention. "I've tried different variations, but this was something else. We have beans in Peru, but this kind of preparation can be had with a spoon, or naan, or in Peru I'd have it with rice." The similarities extend to acidity, spice and fire. "We love acidity so we put lime on everything. I see Indians love their tang too," he smiles. India's tandoori traditions find an unexpected echo in Peru's wood-fired rotisserie culture. Recognising these parallels is more than culinary trivia; it reminds us that food has always travelled, often far beyond the intentions of those who first cultivated or cooked it.
Micha shares how ingredients cross borders, techniques are reinterpreted, and what was once foreign becomes so familiar that its journey is almost forgotten. "Peru is a melting pot of cultures," he says. "We have Chinese, African, Spanish, French and Italian influences. So why not Indian?" he asks. Maido may be deeply Peruvian and Japanese, but Tsumura sees those identities as a starting point, not a boundary. "I don't need to be strictly Peruvian. That freedom is the beauty of it," he adds.
For Tsumura, Maido's recognition is a point of arrival - a moment that is personal, but also national. "It carries the possibility of telling the world a wider story about Peru, its produce, people and food culture and encouraging Peruvians to see the possibilities within their own culinary heritage," he adds. While a 10-course tasting menu at Maido can cost hundreds of dollars, Micha believes that great flavour should be accessible and serves à la carte for lunch and at Maido. He has also branched out into a USD 7 grilled chicken diner.
For Tsumura, the value of travelling is not just to eat well or collect experiences. It is to return with new questions. And right now, this trip provides plenty.
