Gastón Acurio

The driving force behind the revolution in Peruvian cuisine. Acurio has more than 40 restaurants around the world, including its emblematic Astrid & Gaston. He insists on taking the kitchen as a tool for social development. He is recognized for his philanthropic work, such as the cooking school he founded in the Lima suburb of Pachacútec, as well as for his passionate defence of cultural, social, and environmental causes. In 2011, for example, he launched a successful campaign against genetically modified crops in Peru that led to their being banned for a decade.