How Chef Mitsuharu Tsumura Made Maido The Best Restaurant In The World

The culinary world has a new global champion – Mitsuharu ‘Micha’ Tsumura. As the founder and chef behind Maido in Lima, Peru, Micha has done more than just earn the number one spot on the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list – he pioneered a delicious new food movement. Micha's genius lies in Nikkei cuisine, a breathtaking fusion that marries the bold, vibrant flavours of Peru with the precise, delicate soul of his Japanese heritage. Fresh off the stage at San Sebastián Gastronomika, the culinary summit where he first spoke of his dream 14 years ago, Micha sits down with ELLE Gourmet India to talk about his 16-year journey, the brink of failure, the 'sexy' future of Nikkei food, and the heavy responsibility that comes with serving what is, quite simply, the best food in the world.

ELLE Gourmet India: How does it feel to be at the top of the ranking of The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025?

Mitsuharu Tsumura (MT):  It feels good. When I came to San Sebastian Gastronomika 14 years ago, I spoke about Nikkei cuisine and what the future holds for it. This year, I am back, and most of what I said has come true. So it feels great. But it's taken 16 years (since Maido's launch), and there is a lot of responsibility. I think it’s important now to give positive messages when I am doing an interview or making a presentation. To build a legacy.

ELLE Gourmet India: Is that a lot of pressure?

MT: I take it as a responsibility. People travel from all over the world to dine at Maido, and they have expectations. I want people to remember the experience as a life-changing one. Most of all, they should want to come back. 

ELLE Gourmet India: That’s what Maido means in Japanese, right?

MT:  Yes, it means ‘thank you for coming again.’

ELLE Gourmet India: What was the journey like from launching Maido in 2009 to achieving the world's best ranking?

MT: Hard. The first three years were the toughest. If there was one good day, there were three bad ones. Nikkei cuisine was not well-known around the world. And it was a different time when customers didn’t want to explore a new cuisine. They would come and ask for sushi. At one point, I had no cash to pay the staff or buy ingredients. I was ready to close Maido in the fourth year. If it wasn’t for my father, I would have. He asked me to persevere. He lent me the money and said, “Keep on.” I was lucky to break even in the seventh year. Now, Maido is like a son; it gives you a lot of trouble but also a lot of joy (laughs).

ELLE Gourmet India: What’s your process of testing a dish? When do you feel it’s ready?

MT: When it goes to the table! When I send out a new dish to the table, I come out of the kitchen to see the reaction of the guests when they take the first bite. If I see a smile on the faces of 80 per cent of the guests, I know it has worked. But before that, I try it myself on the table in the dining room, far away from the kitchen. I want to know how the dish travels from the kitchen – does it maintain its temperature, how does the dish look on the table, does the cutlery work for the dish, is it easy to eat with a fork, do you need a knife or a spoon, or your hands? All of that happens on the table, not in the kitchen. 

ELLE Gourmet India: Why is Nikkei cuisine gaining so much popularity?

MT: I call Nikkei a sexy cuisine. Peru is like the hard rock of food – powerful and punchy. Japan, with its light flavours, is more classical. A drop of lime, a touch of salt, a pinch of spice – Nikkei cuisine merges the best of both worlds. It takes Japanese cuisine two notches up and balances the strong Peruvian flavours. That’s the reason it works. Another reason is the combination of aji (hot peppers) from Peru and soy sauce from Japan. It’s the DNA of Nikkei cuisine. 

ELLE Gourmet India: With gastronomy changing fast, what's your biggest prediction for how people will dine out in five years?

MT: I think everything will go back to the roots. Another thing I am sure of is that more and more restaurants are going to go the à la carte way. 

ELLE Gourmet India: So, tasting menus will go out? 

MT: No, I don't think they will go out. But you will be able to pick an option between à la carte and a tasting menu. Sometimes people don’t want to do 12 or 15 courses. They want to share, have some bites. I believe many chefs will go that route and open more à la carte restaurants. So the future is à la carte.

ELLE Gourmet India: Where do you go for the best street food in Lima?

MT: I love the sandwiches at Sanguchon Campesino, a fast food place in Lima. They are huge and come with breaded chicken, eggs, ham, cheese, potatoes and lots of sauces. But I don’t do it every day as it's heavy. 

ELLE Gourmet India: If you could only eat one dish for the rest of your life, what would it be?

MT:  That would be Ají de gallina, a creamy, comforting chicken dish. I can eat it every single day.  

ELLE Gourmet India: Sake or Pisco Sour? 

MT: Sake. 

ELLE Gourmet India: Beyond cooking and food, what are your other passions?

MT: I love to go fishing once a month and play some golf every week. I also love to work out. Life is all about balance.