Virgilio Martínez BIOGRAPHY | Peruvian Chef #1 in the World

Virgilio Martínez is the most recognized Peruvian chef on the planet. Born in Lima in 1977, this cook who started out studying law in Scotland today runs Central, the restaurant crowned #1 in the world in 2023 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants —the first time in history that a Latin American restaurant has reached that position. His offering is not just gastronomy: it is a sensory journey through Peru's ecosystems, from the bottom of the ocean to 4,200 metres of altitude in the Andes. In 2026, Virgilio keeps expanding his universe with new projects in Japan, an experiences platform called Masi and the tireless work of Mater Iniciativa, his research centre.

Who is Virgilio Martínez?

Virgilio Martínez (Lima, August 31, 1977) is a chef, entrepreneur and ambassador of Peruvian gastronomy worldwide. He is the founder of the restaurant Central (Barranco, Lima), recognized as the best restaurant in the world in 2023, and co-founder of MIL (Cusco), MAZ (Tokyo, with 2 Michelin stars) and the interdisciplinary centre Mater Iniciativa, alongside his sister Malena Martínez. His cooking fuses scientific research, Peruvian biodiversity and territorial identity.

Virgilio Martínez, chef and founder of Central, the best restaurant in the world in 2023

Virgilio Martínez's personal details

Virgilio Martínez: beginnings of his career

Virgilio Martínez's story did not begin with an apron, but with a skateboard. Raised in the Lima district of La Molina, this future cook was passionate about skating from childhood —although chubby, he was notably skilled— until a dislocated collarbone from jumping off a ramp put an end to that stage of his life. His mother, a painter and artist, inspired him to explore his creative side, while his father —a lawyer— pushed him towards law.

At 16, Virgilio began studying Law at the University of Stirling, in Scotland. He never felt comfortable: he was close to being expelled several times. It was in Europe that he discovered the book White Heat by English chef Marco Pierre White, and something clicked. He dropped law and threw himself into learning to cook from scratch.

In Canada he got his first job as a cook and studied fine dining at Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa and London. What followed were 10 years of intense training in Europe, America and Asia: he worked at the Far East restaurant in France, at Lutece in Manhattan (New York), at the Four Seasons in Singapore, and at Astrid & Gastón in Lima and Bogotá. That global journey was, by his own account, fundamental in developing his imagination and inventiveness.

Virgilio Martínez: professional career and achievements

After a decade touring the kitchens of the world, Virgilio returned to Lima and in March 2009 opened Central, initially in Miraflores and today located in the bohemian district of Barranco. What began as a signature restaurant with Peruvian touches was transformed, from 2012, into a radically different project: a conceptual menu that travels through Peru's ecosystems organized by altitude. That year, Virgilio and his sister Malena began expeditions along the coast, the Andes and the Peruvian jungle to learn first-hand about the country's native ingredients.

• 🌍 2013: Central debuts on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants at #50.
• 📈 2014: Climbs to #15 and wins the “Highest Climber” award. It is also named the best restaurant in Latin America.
• 🏆 2014–2016: Central is recognized as the best restaurant in Latin America three years in a row.
• 👨‍🍳 2017: Virgilio receives the Chefs’ Choice Award, chosen by a vote of his own peers from around the world. Central reaches #5 globally.
• 🏔️ 2018: Opens MIL in Moray, Cusco, at almost 3,600 m above sea level, as a high-altitude restaurant-laboratory.
• 🇯🇵 2021–2022: Launches MAZ in Tokyo, Japan. In December 2023 it earns 2 Michelin stars.
• 🥇 2023: Central is crowned #1 in the world by The World’s 50 Best — a historic first for a Latin American restaurant.
• 🎬 2023: Premieres his documentary on Netflix on the same day as the awards ceremony. Then comes “Afuera hay más” on Prime Video.
• ⭐ 2024: Central moves to the “Best of the Best” podium and stops competing in the ranking. Kjolle (Pía León's restaurant) climbs to #17 in the world.

Central's current menu consists of 13 moments and 32 preparations that take the diner from 15 metres below sea level to 4,200 metres of altitude. Ingredients such as cushuro, kañiwa, airampo blood and goat's milk are some of the treasures Virgilio brings to the table with signature technique.

Virgilio Martínez: standout shows and work

• 🎥 Documentary “Virgilio” (Netflix, 2023): Released on the same day Central was crowned #1 in the world. It goes through his life, philosophy and the soul of his cooking.
• 📺 “Afuera hay más” (Prime Video, 2024): Documentary showing the behind the scenes of Central and Virgilio's view of gastronomy as a cultural tool.
• 📚 Book “Central” (Phaidon): International publication documenting his ecosystem cooking and Mater's research.
• 🌎 Latin American Cookbook (Phaidon): Collaboration on the book celebrating the gastronomy of 22 Latin American countries, backed by Mater Iniciativa.
• 🗺️ Mater's international exhibitions: Mater Iniciativa projects have travelled to Egypt, Korea and Italy, showing Peruvian biodiversity to the world.
• 🏨 Explora Valle Sagrado menu: He designed the gastronomic menu for this luxury hotel chain in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
• 🌮 Estero (Mexico, 2021): He created the culinary offering of this restaurant at La Casa de la Playa (Xcaret Group), Playa del Carmen.
• 🎤 People Day (2025): Talk “The secret ingredient of the world's No. 1 restaurant: the team”, where he shared his vision of horizontal leadership.

Virgilio Martínez: personal life

Virgilio Martínez is married to Pía León, a renowned Peruvian chef and co-founder of Central. Together they form one of the most influential couples in world gastronomy. Pía runs the restaurant Kjolle (Barranco, Lima), which in 2024 reached #17 among the best restaurants in the world. As Virgilio himself said in more than one interview, sharing a passion for cooking and research makes them a hard pairing to beat.

The family also includes Malena Martínez, Virgilio's sister and a doctor by profession, who runs Mater Iniciativa (founded in 2013/2015), the interdisciplinary research centre that brings together science, art, gastronomy and culture. Mater is the intellectual heart that feeds the offering of all his restaurants.

In my experience following the Peruvian gastronomic ecosystem closely, few stories are as inspiring as Virgilio's: a young man from Lima who went from skating to law, from law to the stoves of half the world, and from the stoves to the highest podium of global gastronomy. And he did it without ever ceasing to be, above all, curious.

At 49, Virgilio lives with a more balanced perspective. Freed from the pressure of rankings, his focus is on unhurried research, personal balance and projects that go beyond the plate. If you are interested in other Peruvian figures who have crossed borders, we recommend reading the biography of Patricio Parodi, one of the most influential figures in national entertainment.

Virgilio Martínez trivia

• 🛹 The frustrated skater: Virgilio was passionate about skateboarding from childhood. He was very skilled at the sport, but a dislocated collarbone from jumping off a ramp changed the course of his life forever.
• 📖 A book that changed everything: White Heat by chef Marco Pierre White was the spark that convinced him to abandon law and devote himself to cooking. Sometimes, the right book arrives at just the right moment.
• ⚖️ Almost a lawyer: He studied Law at the University of Stirling (Scotland) and was close to being expelled several times. Luckily for Peruvian gastronomy, the legal world was not his thing.
• 🏔️ The highest restaurant: MIL in Moray (Cusco) sits at almost 3,600 m above sea level. To eat there, diners travel more than two hours and sit in groups of no more than 25 people in the middle of an extraordinary Andean landscape.
• 🔬 A cook, not a chef: Virgilio prefers to be called a “cook” rather than a “chef”. He conceives his work as interdisciplinary research: science, art, culture and gastronomy in a single project.
• 🍽️ 110 people for 30 diners: At Central 110 people work to serve barely 30 diners per service. That ratio partly explains why the menu ranges between S/1,045 and S/1,250 soles.
• 🌏 The philosophy of non-competition: “We are here to compete with ourselves, not with others.” Central no longer takes part in the 50 Best ranking —it is on the eternal “Best of the Best” podium— and Virgilio experiences it as a liberation.

Virgilio Martínez today (2026)

In 2026, Virgilio Martínez operates on multiple fronts with the same intensity as always, but from a calmer place. These are his active projects:

• 🇯🇵 MAZ (Tokyo, Japan): His Japanese restaurant, with 2 Michelin stars, keeps consolidating Peruvian cooking in Asia under the direction of Venezuelan chef Santiago Fernández.
• 🏔️ MIL (Moray, Cusco): It holds #73 on The World’s 50 Best extended list and continues as a high-altitude culinary laboratory, connecting diners with local Andean communities.
• 🌿 Mater Iniciativa: His research centre expands its work with international exhibitions in Egypt, Korea and Italy, placing Peruvian biodiversity on the global cultural map.
• ✨ Masi: Virgilio's new gastronomic experiences platform, which seeks to translate the knowledge generated by Mater into accessible, tangible experiences for a wider public.
• 🤝 Leadership and organizational culture: In 2025 he took part as a speaker at “People Day”, sharing his management model: horizontal teams, dialogue instead of orders, and empathy as an essential ingredient.
• 📅 Reservations at Central: The waiting time to get a table can exceed three months. Reservations open in periods and it is recommended to sign up on the waiting list in case of cancellations.

If you want to get to know other Peruvians who have left a mark beyond the borders from different fields, we recommend the biography of Rodrigo Fernandini, an influential figure in the Peruvian media world.

Conclusion

Virgilio Martínez is not just the chef of the best restaurant in the world: he is an explorer, researcher and narrator of Peruvian identity. His path —from skating to law, from law to the stoves of half the world, and from the stoves to the highest podium of global gastronomy— is proof that passion combined with discipline and curiosity can rewrite a country's history. In 2026, Central no longer competes in rankings. It does not need to. Its influence on world gastronomy keeps growing, Mater Iniciativa takes Peru to every continent, and Virgilio Martínez —at 49 and with his mind always on the next ecosystem to discover— remains the best argument Peru has at the world's table.

Sources consulted

• RPP: Central restaurant is chosen the best in the world in The World’s 50 Best 2023 ranking
• El Comercio: Central is chosen Best restaurant in the world at The World’s 50 Best 2023
• Wikipedia: Virgilio Martínez Véliz
• Forbes Perú: Maz, Virgilio Martínez's restaurant in Tokyo, earns two Michelin Stars
• El Español: The Netflix documentary that tells the story of Central, the best restaurant in the world