Master of Nikkei Cuisine
Mitsuharu Tsumura
Maido, Peru
#1 World's Best Restaurant 2025#1 Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants (4 times)Pioneer of modern Nikkei cuisineNamed World's Best Restaurant at age 46
Signature Dish:The Maido Experience — a 10+ course journey featuring 50-hour braised short rib in nitsuke sauce, squid ramen with Amazonian chorizo, and guinea pig in duck fat
"Nikkei is not fusion — it is an identity. It tells the story of Japanese immigrants who fell in love with Peru."
— Mitsuharu Tsumura
Biography
Born in Lima to Japanese immigrant parents, Mitsuharu "Micha" Tsumura trained at Johnson & Wales University in the USA before immersing himself in Japanese cooking techniques in Osaka. Returning to Lima, he opened Maido in 2009, creating a restaurant that bridges two culinary cultures. The name "Maido" is a Japanese greeting for welcoming regular customers. In 2025, Maido was crowned The World's Best Restaurant, cementing Tsumura's position as the world's foremost Nikkei chef and a cultural ambassador for Peruvian-Japanese fusion.
Culinary Philosophy
Nikkei cuisine — the art of blending Peruvian ingredients with Japanese technique