Mónica Huerta, picantera (a chef who specialises in traditional Peruvian stews), is an ambassador of the Peru Brand, a representative of regional cuisine and member of the Arequipa Picantera Society. She received Súmmum awards for Best Arequipan Cuisine and Best Signature Cuisine, as well as the Luces Prize awarded by the newspaper El Comercio. Mónica inherited the picantera cooking tradition from her mother, something that she proudly promotes today. At her restaurant, La Nueva Palomino, she has rescued traditional techniques, including the use of the batán. In her different trips as an ambassador of the Peru Brand, she has taken batáns and ancestral methods to various parts of the globe. Mónica transmits this heritage with the same love with which she was taught by the women in her family, in this way sharing the great value of Arequipan picantería with the world.
