Álvaro Pérez Miranda, a Venezuelan who lived in Japan for 15 years and then moved to New York and now lives in Miami, has been the first Latino named “Goodwill Ambassador of Japanese Gastronomy”, a symbolic distinction granted by the government of that country. imperial.
The distinction has been designated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) since 2015 and will be awarded to the Venezuelan on February 28 by the Consul of that nation in Miami, Kazuhiro Nakai. Officially, the title “recognizes the work of professionals who promote knowledge and dissemination of Japanese culinary culture abroad.”
“Basically it is about promoting knowledge and spreading Japanese culinary culture abroad. For my part, in gratitude for everything I learned in Japan, my mission is to show attention to detail, hospitality and sensitivity that the Japanese themselves do not express due to their natural humility. But I want that legacy to transcend. The essence of Japanese food is the search for a balance between flavours, the perfect balance between freshness and simplicity”, affirms Pérez Miranda.
At 58 years of age, his professional experience exceeds 70 projects, including being the owner and adviser of art galleries and restaurants of various specialties around the world, but especially Japanese food. The list currently includes the Wabi Sabi and Hiyakaya restaurants, operating since 2018 and 2020 in Miami with chefs Masayuki Komatsu, Hiro Asano and Tomo Inoue, who work with imported ingredients from Tokyo’s famous Toyosu fish market.
–How, being a foreigner and from a country so far from Japan, did you manage to master its gastronomy?
-That fantastic journey began in 1989, when I experienced the meeting of two totally different cultures. I think that my sensitivity opened the doors for me to understand that link and the attention to detail, the flavors and the connection with delicacy.
“I feel honored by this honor from the Japanese government,” adds Pérez Miranda, who is scheduled to open two more restaurants this year in the great city of Florida. “My passion for Japanese culture is what drives my work.”
The list of “Goodwill ambassadors of Japanese gastronomy” includes the American chef David Bouley and the Japanese Yoshihiro Murata -he has 7 Michelin stars among 3 restaurants in Tokyo and Kyoto- and Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, who lived in Peru and later founded the chain international Nobu with Robert De Niro and Meir Teper.