Authentic Peruvian Cuisine at CANCHITA

For over 20 years, Peruvian Chef Daniel Chavez’s career has taken him to some of the finest F&B establishments in the world.  Daniel enrolled in the Florida Culinary Institute and applied for a scholarship for a master’s programme in culinary arts in Valencia, Spain after graduation.  There, he apprenticed at the Michelin-starred “La Sucursal” and was exposed to fine dining techniques and Mediterranean culture.

His desire to widen his repertoire led him to traverse across continents; from Barcelona where he joined “El Raco de Can Fabes”, a three Michelin-starred restaurant by the culinary icon Santi Santamaria, to Singapore where he learned classic French cooking techniques from Chef Gunther Hubrechsen in “Les Amis”.

He then reunited with Chef Santamaria as the Chef de Cuisine of “Ossiano” at  Atlantis The Palm Hotel in Dubai, and later as Executive Chef of Santi at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. 

Daniel went on to open OLA Cocina Del Mar, a Spanish restaurant and the first of his projects in 2012. Becoming his mission to showcase Latin America’s culinary diversity with the Singaporean community, in 2017 Daniel launched “TONO Cevicheria”, the first Peruvian Cevicheria in Asia, and “TONITO Latin American Kitchen” in 2018, the first Latin American family concept in Singapore. 

He also founded “LATINADA”, Singapore’s first Latin American Food Festival, in 2018. The second edition of the festival, held the following year, brought together over 3000 attendees.

Having exited the OLA Kitchen Group; in 2021 Daniel founded CANCHITA Peruvian Cuisine with the purpose to focus all his energy on promoting the Latino culture through Asia.

In less than a year since its inception, CANCHITA Peruvian Cuisine has quickly became a culinary destination and reference in the eclectic dining scene of Singapore, gaining a well-earned reputation between foodies and chefs from the region.

Daniel and Tamara Chavez , his wife and partner, have travelled to promote Peruvian cuisine to Bali, Maldives, Seoul, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. Their aim is to showcase the immense diversity of flavours, colours and ingredients that the Latin American region have to offer.

Daniel was awarded the “Global Chef Award” in 2017 by At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy for his work in inspiring young chefs, as well as Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018 by Peruvian University San Ignacio de Loyola, a distinction conferred to him by the former president of Peru, Mr Raul Diez Canseco.

With 14 years of international experience under her belt, Mexican-born Tamara Chavez is arguably one of the most credible advocates of Latin American gastronomy in Singapore and Asia.

Having trained in Peru at the prestigious “El Mercado” under award winning Chef Rafael Osterling, whose eponymous restaurant was ranked #19 in Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022, Tamara marries her knowledge of Peru’s immense culinary heritage with the diverse and vibrant flavours of all Latin America.

Tamara first moved to Asia in 2014 as part of the opening team of the first Mexican fine dining restaurant to open in Singapore, “El Mero Mero”.

Thereafter, she took on the position of Head Chef at TONO Cevicheria, the first Peruvian cevicheria in Asia, and subsequently helmed the kitchen of OLA Cocina Del Mar, a modern Spanish restaurant that was awarded a Michelin Plate for three consecutive years since 2017.

Fuelled by her passion to promote Latin American gastronomy and culture in her adopted home, Tamara helped launch LATINADA in 2018, Singapore’s first Latin American Food Festival.

Tamara has been finalist for the Female Chef Of The Year award by the World Gourmet Summit in 2020, 2021 and 2022. She has also been awarded Mentor Chef of the Year by At Sunrice Cooking Academy in 2022 for her continuous job supporting new local culinary talents in Singapore. 

As part of her role as a promoter of Peruvian and  Mexican cuisine in Asia, Tamara has travelled to a number of food capitals in Asia like Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Seychelles, Bali and Seoul with the aim to expand the knowledge of this cuisines in the region.

In Singapore, she has appeared in several TV shows like “In search of heat” and “Makan Migrants” from Channel News Asia while doing several collaborations with Prom Peru’s campaign of Super Foods.

Tamara holds a master’s degree in gastronomy from the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Turismo in Mexico City. 

In her spare time, she loves to salsa dance and visit different restaurants and bars in the world.