Growing up near the Marañón River in Peru’s Amazonian terrains, Robert Ortiz cooked with both his mother and grandmother as a child – an experience which has left its mark on his cooking today. He tells British Airways High Life magazine: “I always remember my mother’s escabeche, a pickle made from onions, garlic, chilli, tomatoes and coriander … The duck escabeche we serve in Lima is not exactly like my mother’s, but it’s certainly influenced by her recipe.”

Robert Ortiz founded his career at the famous Costa Verde restaurant in Peru’s capital, before deciding to swap Lima for London. He found work in Italian and Spanish restaurants before taking a role at The Landmark Hotel, where senior chefs like Georg Heise, Glen Watson and Gary Klaner helped to sharpen his talents. After The Landmark, Robert Ortiz moved on to the legendary Four Seasons, Canary Wharf. Here, he increased his appreciation of European-Latin cooking and first met fellow Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez – a meeting that would eventually lead to his collaboration on the Lima project.

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