How Chef Erik Ramirez Found His Way Back to His Peruvian Roots

How Chef Erik Ramirez Found His Way Back to His Peruvian Roots

From a Louisiana fishing rodeo to Hudson Yards. How a first-generation Peruvian kid became one of New York's most important culinary voices. There is a moment in every chef's story where the food stops being background noise and becomes the whole point. For Erik Ramirez, that moment happened in Grand Isle, Louisiana, of all places. Sent to live with his uncle one summer because, as he puts it, he was getting into a little too much trouble, he watched someone cook not out of necessity but out of pure joy. Gumbo, jambalaya, étouffée. Fresh shrimp from the market. A roux made with intention. That was it. That was the spark. This episode is about what happens when you follow that spark across two decades, two cities, and two cuisines. It is about the DC food podcast world's favorite topic right now: the rise of Peruvian cuisine as a global force. Lima has back-to-back historic wins at the World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards. And Erik Ramirez is one of the chefs helping translate that moment for American diners. Chef Erik Ramirez is the culinary mind behind Papa San at Hudson Yards, a Peruvian izakaya rooted in Nikkei cuisine. He is a James Beard-nominated chef, a Met Gala menu credit, and a first-generation Peruvian American who spent years mastering French and American fine dining at Eleven Madison Park before a trip to Lima changed everything. Episode keyword: Erik Ramirez Peruvian Nikkei chef New York. Key Takeaways The uncle who started it all - Erik Ramirez did not grow up wanting to be a chef. A summer in Grand Isle, Louisiana with an uncle who cooked gumbo and jambalaya for the joy of it was the moment cooking became something worth chasing. Eleven Madison Park as grad school - Three years at Eleven Madison Park, finishing as sous chef, reshaped how Ramirez thinks about technique, hospitality, and the respect owed to every element of a restaurant experience. A trip to Lima changed everything - Ramirez grew up eating his grandmother's Peruvian home cooking but never saw it as a cuisine he wanted to cook professionally. One month in Lima, eating at the top restaurants, blew his mind and redirected his entire career. Nikkei is a cuisine built on immigration - Nikkei cuisine, the fusion of Peruvian and Japanese culinary traditions, was born out of migration and necessity. Ramirez describes it as Japanese precision married to Peruvian ingredients and culture. It is the same story every immigrant group has told through food. Papa San is New York plus Peru plus Japan - Every dish at Papa San must connect to all three: New York, Peru, and Japan. The now-famous eel pizza is the perfect example. Pizza is New York. Unagi and its barbecue sauce is Japan. Peruvian chili oil ties it together. Familiar entry point, unexpected destination. Erik Ramirez said "I am a good representation of what Peruvian cuisine is. My grandmother is half Japanese, half Peruvian. My first language growing up was Spanish and Italian. From different parts of the world. That is why it is so special to me." Host Nycci Nellis said "You did not go on a generic path to get to where you are. It is so interesting to hear about all the different people that either inspired you, like your uncle, or networked you, put you in touch with the right people, and got you to that next stage in your life." Timestamps 00:00 Introduction and the rise of Peruvian cuisine. 00:40 Meet Chef Erik Ramirez, Papa San, and his career arc. 02:20 Growing up in New Jersey and the uncle in Louisiana who started it all. 05:32 Culinary school, Philadelphia, and the decision to drop out for the kitchen. 08:49 Moving to New York and landing at Eleven Madison Park. 10:04 What Eleven Madison Park actually teaches you about hospitality. 15:25 Going back to Peruvian roots and the trip to Lima that changed everything. 19:33 Partnering with Juan and the creation of Llama Inn. 21:38 The foundation of Peruvian cuisine and comida criolla. 28:17 What is Nikkei cuisine and how it lives at Papa San. 32:01 The eel pizza: New York meets Japan meets Peru. 35:08 The biodiversity and cultural layers that make Peruvian cuisine unique. 39:19 What is next: a sandwich concept and a new Peruvian restaurant. 41:10 Rapid fire: pisco sour, arroz con pollo, and sharing the recipe. 43:35 Where to find Chef Ramirez and closing. Connect with Erik Ramirez Instagram (Papa San): https://www.instagram.com/papasannyc Instagram (Personal): https://www.instagram.com/llamaerik TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@papasannyc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/papasannyc

Conversación del Maíz, The Art of Nixtamalization

Three chefs. One ancient process. And a tortilla that could change how you think about Mexican food. 3,500 years ago, someone in Mesoamerica figured out that soaking dried corn in an alkaline solution unlocks nutrients and transforms the starch into something workable. That process, nixtamalization, sustained entire civilizations. And most people eating corn tortillas today have no idea it exists. That is the conversation your girl Nycci Nellis is having on this episode of Industry Night, the DC food podcast that goes deep on the hospitality industry and the people driving it. This episode matters because food is political, food is social, and the story of corn is the story of indigenous knowledge that Europe ignored, that factory tortilla lines diluted, and that a new generation of chefs is fighting to restore. If you care about DC dining, the restaurant industry, or just being a human who wants to know where their food comes from, this one is for you. Joining Nycci are three chefs who each carry that weight differently. Chef Alam Mendez, who learned to cook in his mother's kitchen in Oaxaca and now grinds corn in house daily at Apapacho Taqueria in DC. Chef Jose Contreras, a 2025 James Beard semifinalist and owner of Amelia's in Tucson, who is about to open Carizal, a fine dining restaurant built entirely around nixtamalized corn. And Luis Martinez, born in a Zapotec pueblo in Oaxaca, now based in Asheville running Takio Foods, sourcing heirloom corn directly from indigenous farmers and bringing it into kitchens across the American South. Key Takeaways Nixtamalization Is Science, Not Trend. The process adds calcium and niacin to corn that otherwise lacks nutrients. Without it, Europeans who brought corn back to their continent developed pellagra, a disease caused by nutritional deficiency, because they refused to learn the indigenous technique. Mexico Has 64 Varieties of Corn. 61 are endemic to Mexico. Each region, each variety, requires different limestone ratios and cook times. The corn you use shapes the masa, the flavor, and the tortilla. It is not interchangeable, and it is not an afterthought. The Process Takes 24 Hours. You cook the corn, add limestone by weight, check it by hand, then let it rest overnight before grinding. You do not have to be awake for 24 hours, but the corn does. That is what you are paying for when you pay for a real tortilla. Immigrant Food Is Not Cheap Food. Luis Martinez put it plainly. People in the US have a problem paying for a taco the same way they would pay for French or Italian food, even when the process, the sourcing, and the labor behind that taco is just as rigorous. That double standard is something all three chefs navigate daily. Luis Martinez Brings the Molino to the People. Through his Compa Molino project, Luis drives a corn grinder to trailer parks where Oaxacan farm workers live, offering them access to fresh masa and nixtamalized corn. North Carolina is the third largest Oaxacan population in the country. These are the people picking our food, and they deserve access to it. Luis Martinez said, "Food is political and food is social. We are immigrants telling people who we are and what we do. In a way, sometimes they like our food but they do not like us." Host Nycci Nellis said, "The reconciliation of that, that somebody could love a taco and not understand the history of that taco and how it wound up in their hand, and they are having a problem with the people who make it, is so ludicrous I do not even know how to answer it." Timestamps 00:00 Nycci introduces nixtamalization and why it matters. 02:17 Meet the three chefs: Alam Mendez, Jose Contreras, and Luis Martinez. 04:03 Luis Martinez on growing up Zapotec in Oaxaca and founding Takio Foods. 07:27 Alam Mendez on his mother's kitchen, Las Quincertas, and cooking around the world. 12:05 Jose Contreras on Hermosillo, grandma Amelia, and Carizal coming to Tucson. 15:15 Luis breaks down the nixtamalization process, calcium, niacin, and why Europeans got sick. 19:18 Nycci connects indigenous agricultural knowledge to the founding of America. 23:21 Choosing corn varieties, 64 in Mexico, 61 endemic, and how region shapes masa. 31:31 How do you explain the value of a real tortilla to a consumer raised on factory corn? 34:47 Nycci on immigrant food, fine dining, and the price of a pizza in New York. 43:05 Luis on Compa Molino, farm workers, and bringing fresh masa to Oaxacan communities in North Carolina. 46:44 Where to find each chef and what is coming next. Connect with Alam Mendez Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apapacho_taqueria Instagram personal: https://www.instagram.com/alanmendez Connect with Jose Contreras Website: https://www.ameliastucson.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ameliastucson Instagram personal: https://www.instagram.com/chefjose_tucson Connect with Luis Martinez Website: https://www.takiofoods.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luismartinezcreative Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takiofoods

Why Everyone Wants a Table at Bungalow with Chef Vikas Khanna

Bungalow is the hardest reservation in New York. Here is why it feels like going home. There are restaurants, and then there is Bungalow. Your girl Nycci Nellis sat down with Chef Vikas Khanna, and within the first five minutes she understood why lines form down the block and why 10,000 people are on the wait list. This is not a story about a hot restaurant. It is a story about a man born with club feet in Amritsar, told he would never walk properly, who later arrived in the United States homeless, and built one of the most talked-about dining experiences in the country. The DC food podcast world does not get guests like this every week. If you care about the restaurant industry, about what it actually costs to carry a culture on your back into a dining room, this episode is for you. Chef Khanna does not cook to impress inspectors. He cooks to make people feel that their ancestors are honored. That shift, from chasing stars to chasing meaning, is the whole conversation. This is the Washington DC restaurant insider perspective on what Indian cuisine can be when it is finally set free. Chef Vikas Khanna is one of the first Indian chefs in America to earn a Michelin star, originally recognized for Junoon in 2011 and awarded eight consecutive years. Today he is chef and partner at Bungalow in New York City. He has authored more than 40 books, hosted MasterChef India for nearly two decades, directed films, spoken at the United Nations, and a leading voice on the hospitality industry podcast circuit, and through his Feed India initiative has provided more than 84 million meals to people in need. Episode keyword: Vikas Khanna chef New York City Indian restaurant Michelin star. Bungalow Is Personal: Chef Khanna opened Bungalow at 54 as a promise to his mother and late sister, to lift the entire water of Indian culture and cuisine in the world. Every dish, every floral arrangement on the glass ceiling, every drop of Ganga Jal placed outside the door at 4:30 is for her. A Menu of 16 Dishes, Quarter Million Recipes: Khanna has documented more than 250,000 recipes from across India. Bungalow runs only 16 dishes, rotates specials nightly without repeating, and is currently running 36 weeks of celebrating India, one state, one dish, one story per week. The Women Who Built Him: His grandmother was his first cooking teacher. His mother opened a banquet space with him at 16. His sister moved to the US with him in 2000 and fought for his freedom until she passed. A Muslim woman sheltered him during the Mumbai riots. The restaurant designer Sheila Rizvi and her daughter Maisha carry that feminine energy into Bungalow every night. Feed India: 84 Million Meals from a New York Apartment: When his mother called during the pandemic and said she would rather say her son tried and failed than never tried at all, Khanna launched Feed India. He converted 80 gas stations into food and healing stations for migrant workers walking home on Indian highways, and served quarter million meals at Haji Ali Dargah during Eid alone. Setting the Cuisine Free: Khanna wrote an op-ed for Time magazine arguing that civilizational cuisines cannot be measured through the small lens of Western restaurant standards. The New York Times review of Bungalow used the word freedom. He said that mattered more than any star he has ever received. Chef Vikas Khanna said, "The DNA of the restaurant itself is so broken that it came from such a place of darkness that the only way it could find its survival was through light." Host Nycci Nellis said, "Despite the accolades and the stars, the books, the films, and the global recognition, everything comes back to humility and humanity for you, whether you are feeding people or remembering them." Timestamps 00:00 Introduction and welcome to Industry Night. 01:20 Chef Vikas Khanna introduced, Bungalow and the Michelin star at Junoon. 03:10 Why Bungalow opened and what it means as a promise to family. 05:08 Regional Indian cuisine and how Bungalow presents it without simplifying it. 09:03 The flower ritual, Ganga Jal ceremony, and feminine energy at Bungalow. 11:31 The women who shaped Chef Khanna, grandmother, sister, Sheila Rizvi. 16:23 Eating culture, not just cuisine, and the Time magazine op-ed. 20:24 Eight consecutive Michelin stars and what the 100-year-old guest said that broke him. 26:31 Feed India, 84 million meals, and the phone call from his mother. 29:08 Gas stations turned into healing stations for migrant workers. 33:16 The restaurant as the center of all gravity, films, books, and advocacy. 36:03 MasterChef India and changing the perception of chefs in Indian culture. 41:41 The global rise of Indian food and the pluralistic vision of India. 43:03 Rapid fire: Top Chef, reservation platforms, one thing every young chef needs to know. 44:48 Closing thoughts and thank you. Connect with Chef Vikas Khanna Website: https://www.vikhanna.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vikaskhannagroup Bungalow NYC: https://www.bungalownewyork.com Feed India: https://www.feedindia.org Produced by Heartcast Media. Be safe out there and have a delicious week.

Chef Ryan Ratino on Michelin Stars, Muscle, and Leading with Grace

What does it actually take to run one of the most decorated restaurant groups in America and still have abs? Your girl Nycci Nellis is in sneakers today. No cocktail dress, no six-inch heels. We taped this one at Equinox Wisconsin Avenue at City Ridge, and honestly, it made perfect sense. Because this conversation with Michelin star chef Ryan Ratino started off about his new Georgetown restaurant Oxen Olive and ended up somewhere way more interesting: the discipline, the bloodwork, the cortisol spikes, the Bulgarian split squats he hates, and the moment he looked in the mirror at 30 years old and decided to treat his body like the high-performance machine it needs to be. This is a DC food podcast episode that goes somewhere most chef interview podcasts never go. It is not just about the food. It is about what it costs, physically and mentally, to lead over 200 people across multiple Michelin-starred restaurants and still show up every single day with clarity and intention. If you have ever wondered how the best in the hospitality industry actually sustain it, this one is for you. Ryan Ratino is the executive chef and owner of Hive Hospitality, home to one-Michelin-starred Bresca, two-Michelin-starred Jaunt, Michelin-starred Moss at the Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale, Michelin-starred Omo by Jaunt in Winter Park, and his newest Georgetown concept Oxen Olive. He is the recipient of the Michelin Guide Young Chef Award and holds more Michelin stars than almost any chef in the country. Episode keyword: Ryan Ratino chef Washington DC Michelin star restaurant group. Key Takeaways The origin story is working class Ryan grew up in a union household in Ohio, helping his mother get dinner on the table fast. His mom was the one who saw cooking as a career before he did. He went to Le Cordon Bleu in Florida at 17 to get as far from home as possible, and knew within two months it was exactly right. He built Bresca first on purpose Ryan opened Bresca at 27 in the old Policy nightclub space on 14th Street, intentionally starting with upscale-but-approachable before launching two-Michelin-starred Jaunt upstairs. He wanted to earn the neighborhood's trust before asking them to celebrate there. The pandemic forced the health reckoning At 30 years old, 5-foot-9, and 206 pounds with 30 percent body fat, Ryan started Googling what healthy actually meant. He cycled through doctors until he found a specialist in Indianapolis who ran 400 biomarkers, identified barely-functioning adrenal glands, and built a protocol that finally let him fall asleep at night. He eats like an athlete, not a chef During a surplus phase: 300 grams of protein and up to 500 grams of carbs daily, including over a kilo of Japanese short-grain rice. He tastes everything at the restaurant and spits it out. He always eats protein before carbs to keep blood sugar flat. Sweet potatoes are his deficit-phase staple because they keep him full without the crash. Physical health changed how he leads Ryan says the cleaner his body feels, the more grace he brings to leading his team. He greets every single person when he arrives and thanks every single person at the end of the night. He believes you can be a strong leader and still respect your team, and that the health journey made that more consistent for him. Ryan Ratino said, "I think proud, but not satisfied. Proud of where I am, but knowing that at 20 I was probably even more crazy and driven than I am now." Host Nycci Nellis said, "What you are doing with your health is a full-time job. The working out 90 minutes a day, the diet, managing it. That is people's actual job. Where is the time for your other job?" Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Equinox Wisconsin Avenue at City Ridge. 00:51 Why Nycci is in sneakers and how this episode came together. 01:17 Introducing Ryan Ratino and the Hive Hospitality empire. 03:28 Growing up working class in Ohio, helping mom get dinner on the table. 05:05 Were you hungry? The food origin story. 05:30 Baseball, competitiveness, and why cooking school clicked within two months. 07:05 Le Cordon Bleu in Florida, full circle back to Winter Park. 08:11 Building a well-rounded career: hotels, stages at WD50 and Minibar, Crohn's disease and health insurance strategy. 10:50 The switch: deciding to own his own business and learning what not to do as a leader. 12:55 Opening Bresca at 27 in the old Policy space on 14th Street. 14:02 Why Bresca came before Jaunt: earning trust before asking for celebration. 16:14 Why Florida? Moss at the Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale and Omo by Jaunt in Winter Park. 17:42 Oxen Olive in Georgetown: two weeks open, 16 to 17 beef programs, not a steakhouse. 20:36 The pandemic health reckoning: 206 pounds, 30 percent body fat, and a decision to change. 25:49 Finding the right doctor: 400 biomarkers, adrenal glands, cortisol spikes, and phosphatidylserine. 29:30 The bulk and cut cycle: going sub-10 percent body fat to find his frame, then building up. 32:07 What he actually eats: 300 grams of protein, a kilo of rice, sweet potatoes, and spitting out tastings. 35:27 Eating protein before carbs to flatten blood sugar. The glucose monitor experiment. 40:34 How physical discipline connects directly to leadership with grace over 200 employees. 42:40 Saying hello to every person, thanking every person, and why that matters. 43:48 Workout demo: shoulder flies, barbell bench press, and the Bulgarian split squat he hates. 50:02 Rapid fire: black coffee before and after, Asador Etxebarri, ideal day off, and what 20-year-old Ryan would think. 51:45 Nycci's outro, thanks to Equinox and City Ridge, and a Wegmans lean protein run. Connect with Ryan Ratino Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanratino Hive Hospitality: https://www.hivehospitality.com Bresca DC: https://www.bresca.com Jaunt DC: https://www.jauntdc.com Oxen Olive Georgetown: https://www.oxenolive.com

Loew Vineyards: Holocaust Survivor Legacy, Maryland Wine & Historic Meadmaking with Rachel Loew Lipman

A fifth-generation mead maker carries a Holocaust survivor's legacy forward, one bottle at a time. Some stories start in a vineyard. This one starts in 19th-century Poland, survives a concentration camp and a death march, and lands in a tasting room in Mount Airy, Maryland. Rachel Loew Lipman didn't just inherit a winery. She inherited a reason. And if you've ever wondered whether a bottle of wine can hold memory, grief, and joy all at once, this episode of Industry Night, the DC food and hospitality podcast, is your answer. Maryland wine gets overlooked. It shouldn't. Winemaking here dates to the 1600s, and today more than 100 wineries are producing everything from cab francs to Vidal Blancs. But what Rachel is doing at Loew Vineyards goes beyond the glass. She's a DC food and hospitality insider's dream guest: a young head winemaker running Maryland's fourth oldest existing winery, its first kosher winery and meadery, and one of the longest continuous mead-making traditions in the world. This is the DC dining guide and hospitality podcast conversation you didn't know you needed. Rachel Loew Lipman is a fifth-generation mead maker, granddaughter of Holocaust survivor William Loew, and the force behind Loew Vineyards in Frederick County, Maryland. Her family's mead-making roots trace to 1800s Poland. She holds degrees in plant science and communications from the University of Maryland, a winemaking certification from Washington State, and experience in France. In 2025, she launched Maryland's first Star K certified mead. Key Takeaways Mead nearly disappeared from history. Jews were the majority of Polish mead producers before World War II. When 90% of Poland's Jewish population was murdered in the Holocaust, mead essentially vanished from the market. Rachel is bringing it back. The 2025 frost devastated the Mid-Atlantic harvest. On April 20, stagnant air dropped to 23.5 degrees across the region, wiping out primary fruit on over 600 of Maryland's roughly 1,000 grape-growing acres. Loew Vineyards is not making wine this vintage year. Going kosher brought unexpected balance. Loew Vineyards is now Maryland's first and only kosher winery, operating under both a conservative Hechsher for grape wines and a Star K Orthodox certification for meads. The Shabbat restriction forced Rachel, a lifelong seven-day-a-week worker, to finally take a day off. Covid accelerated the Maryland wine boom. When travelers couldn't get to Napa or France, they explored their own backyards. Local wine club memberships surged. Rachel credits that shift, combined with generational farming knowledge, for the best Maryland wines she's ever seen coming out right now. The Wolf Cabernet Sauvignon is the family's most personal bottle. Named for her grandfather's birth name, the wine arrived by kismet. A grower called Rachel with extra Cabernet Sauvignon one month after her grandfather passed. She had never asked for it. She made it for him. "We want to turn wine into memory and connection, and that to me is more the juice being worth the squeeze than anything the market does." - Rachel Loew Lipman "What I love is that you respect the past while looking towards the future, and I just think that's beautiful." - Nycci Nellis, Industry Night Timestamps 00:00 Welcome to Industry Night at The Wharf, DC. 00:20 Introducing Maryland wine and why it matters. 01:21 Meet Rachel Loew Lipman, fifth-generation mead maker. 02:55 The family's mead-making roots in 19th-century Poland. 04:37 Civil rights, the Habsburg Empire, and the first licensed meadery. 05:17 What is mead, really? Polish mead vs. Viking mead. 06:02 How the Holocaust erased Polish mead from the market. 07:28 William Loew: Holocaust survivor, translator, electrical engineer, winemaker. 09:40 The haunting smell of fermenting mead and why he started a vineyard. 10:48 Tasting the Savi: a chenin blanc mead named for family memory. 13:44 Loew Vineyards founded in 1982 on 37 acres in Mount Airy, Maryland. 15:41 Rachel's path into winemaking, from the Bonanza Building to Washington State. 18:33 Joining the family business full time in 2018 and navigating Covid. 22:27 The April 2025 frost and what 23.5 degrees means for a harvest. 25:21 Can you cover the vines? The limits of frost protection. 28:15 What's planted now and the vineyard's revitalization. 30:34 The Mazal sparkling red: dry Lambrusco on steroids, made with carbonic Barbera. 33:31 Carbonic fermentation explained, and why almost no one on the East Coast does it. 35:50 Going kosher: the Agricultural Innovation Grant and the steam generator. 36:52 Why the demand for kosher products was impossible to ignore. 37:13 Two certifications: conservative Hechsher for wines, Star K Orthodox for meads. 41:12 First kosher harvest and the unexpected gift of Shabbat. 44:36 Is the juice worth the squeeze? Being Maryland's first and only kosher winery. 45:33 Where Maryland wine stands today and why this generation is pushing boundaries. 47:25 How Covid drove local wine discovery and tasting room culture. 50:38 3GDC and speaking as a grandchild of a Holocaust survivor. 53:34 Generational trauma, resilience, and what William Loew chose to share. Connect with Rachel Loew Lipman Website [https://www.loewvineyards.net/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/loewvineyards] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/loewvineyards] 3GDC Living Links [https://www.livinglinks3g.org/]