By Karolina Guilcapi | Images Courtesy Carlos Guilcapi
A heaping plate of boiled potatoes was placed with care in front of us. The chef, a timid ancient man with kind eyes, was sheepishly smiling behind the steam rising from the spuds. He then put down a multitude of small adobe bowls around the table. Coarse salt, a vibrant aji verde, thinly sliced marinated red onions, wedges of limes, and colourful solterito.
Cups of coca tea were poured. The rain hit hard against the tin roof above us, and the mud walls felt soft to the touch. By a skillfully lit fire, we cozied up with our Andean blankets and took it all in, as our mouths watered for the dishes in front of us.
This was not a five-star restaurant written about in magazines. It was so much more.
The day began with an al fresco breakfast in the Sacred Valley, where we overlooked the mountain range and planned for a day of adventure. Peru is home to many bucket list jewels—the ruins of Machu Picchu, the Amazon jungle, Lake Titicaca—but we quickly learned that it was the people here who made the biggest impression on our memories.
And it was through food that we found a connection with them.
Spending a day with our private Sated Ventures guide and translator—as most Indigenous cultures here do not speak English or Spanish, preferring the ancient language of Quechua—we kayaked amongst pink flamingos on high altitude lakes, we hiked with llamas and farmers through fields of quinoa and corn, we sat with a shaman as he blessed our journey and asked about our home mountain, and we ate.
We ate during the pachamanca ceremony cooked underground like the Incas originally did. We ate at farm-to-table restaurants with locally grown ingredients. Gourmet dishes at surprise white glove picnics. We were able to get involved and participate in the preparation of dishes and the tastings of local flavours.
We met the famous potato whisperer Manuel Choqque Bravo, and were invited to feast on chef Virgilio Martínez Véliz’s famous multi-course menu. But when we finally settled in with the Misminay community as the rain started to fall, the heaping plate of boiled potatoes was the most memorable dish of all.
Private tours, delicious experiences
At Sated Ventures, our mission is to connect our guests to the local culture through food. A culinary anthropology experience, if you will. Carefully crafted tours highlight the local communities, allowing guests a glimpse into the local life in a sustainable and authentic way. There are no buses and groups. There are no lines or tourist traps.
Offering privately curated tours to 40 countries around the world, we make sure of 3 things: you will experience the highlights on your bucket list, you will get off the beaten path for some special moments, and you will eat well.
Luxury is not a high-end hotel, it is not a price tag. Luxury is a feeling that we create even in the most remote corner of the world—a sense of wonder, comfort, and connection. Sated Ventures’ guests choose their dates, their destination, and their style of travel, and we create the itineraries from scratch. No two trips are alike.
With 18 years of experience, we specialize in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. We have deep roots in the Galapagos Islands and Patagonia, we know which African safari fits your needs, and we create magic on every trip.
Some of our favourite culinary moments are:
- Gaucho afternoons in Argentina on local estancias, where dancing, barbequing, and horse riding take precedence;
- candy-making workshops in Guatemala where a local grandma takes us on a step-by-step mission to create traditional sweets;
- herb gardens and pepper farms in Cambodia, where we set up an al fresco kitchen and cook up a storm with local chefs;
- meeting the local people of the Galapagos through coffee and beer tasting, a nice reprieve from snorkelling and penguin photography.
So, are you ready to bring home stories about your own heaping plate of boiled potatoes? Book your private curated tour at satedventures.com.