The Accidental Chef

It’s hard to imagine that one of Miami’s most distinguished chefs stumbled upon the culinary profession by mere chance, but that’s just how it happened for Chef Diego Oka.

“I’ve heard many stories about how chefs started — amazing stories of how when they were five or six years old they already knew they wanted to be chefs. My story is different,” Oka says.

He describes growing up in Lima, Peru in a family where food was a key player, with both a grandmother and mother knowing their way around the kitchen and a father with a discerning palate for excellent cuisine. They frequented restaurants — something Oka, now 39, readily admits he loved and still loves to do, but none of this ever translated into a yearning to pursue a culinary career.

“I never worked in a restaurant, never went to a market, even,” he says.

When he graduated from high school in 1999, he was unsure what his next steps would be. His father encouraged him to pursue business school, offering the logical and practical insight that such a career would open doors. But Oka, who admits academia was not his forte (“I was very lazy, had bad grades,” he says) had his sights on a new culinary arts program at Lima’s Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola, not out of desire to be a chef but because its one-year commitment was most appealing to him.

The decision proved worthwhile, with Oka instantly discovering a passion and talent in the kitchen he did not know he had.

“I was top of my class. Things came naturally for me, I think because I always helped my grandma and always went to restaurants, my mind was open,” he says.

At 16 (the average age of high school graduates in Peru is between 16 and 17) he was the youngest in the class, with most of the students there in middle age exploring a second career.

It was a chance encounter at a supermarket that would ultimately forge his path to Miami’s La Mar By Gastón Acurio. While promoting hydroponic vegetables as part of an internship, he caught a glimpse of Chef Acurio, one of Peru’s most prominent chefs — and Oka’s idol — wandering the aisles shopping for food.

Oka’s friend, who was working at the supermarket with him, urged him to approach Acurio.

“I am a very shy person. People don’t imagine that I am that shy,” he adds in a soft voice, recounting how he followed Acuria from aisle to aisle, garnering the courage to talk to him. “Actually, he always remembers and always tells this story of how we met because it was strange how I was sneaking up on him. He noticed that there was a kid who was going around behind him,” he laughs.

That chance meeting led to a fruitful relationship Oka and Acurio still have today. Oka completed his internship at Astrid y Gastón, eventually working at Acurio’s Tanta Restaurant, then opening the first La Mar Cebicheria in 2005 as executive chef at the age of 22. From there he opened numerous La Mar restaurants, first Mexico City then Bogotá, Colombia, before coming to San Francisco, spending several years in each stop. He arrived to Miami in 2013 to open the South Florida location within the luxurious Mandarin Hotel.

La Mar By Gastón Acurio, which prides itself in serving a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese cuisine coined “Nikkei” has developed a loyal following for Oka’s commitment to top ingredients, artfully plated dishes and playful curiosity blended with an extensive knowledge of traditional Japanese culinary technique. He’s grateful to his father, whose parents migrated from Japan to Peru, for encouraging him to “go learn your tradition,” a notion Oka scoffed at first, thinking the food he grew up eating at home was not particularly special.

“Cutting sashimi is so easy, it’s just raw fish and you put it on a plate and eat it with soy sauce, ” he had told his dad.

The suggestion stuck with him however and, after finishing his internship at Astrid y Gastón he worked at Ichi Ban, a tiny traditional Japanese restaurant, first as a dishwasher, then preparing sushi under the guidance of renowned chef Hiro Nakagawa.

“Chef Hiro was my mentor, he was my idol,” Oka recounts. I’m very happy my parents pushed me to work in a Japanese restaurant. All my base, all my techniques — mostly everything I know — is from that person,” he adds, noting that Chef Acurio frequented Ichi Ban and became one of Oka’s regular customers, paving the way for the fruitful work relationship they share today.

Oka’s passion, extensive experience and boundless talent translate into an experience for the senses to lucky South Florida patrons visiting La Mar By Gastón Acurio. Start with offerings from the Cebiche Bar, all made to order, including favorites like Tiradito Bachiche: fluke, parmesan, colatura (aged fish sauce) and leche de tigre, a citrus-base marinade of lime and aji peppers emblematic to Peru. The dish is topped with crunchy garlic chips and basil oil. Causa, a chilled, layered potato terrine typically made with seafood shines bright here with the Causa Crab using beet causa, blue crab, tobiko, avocado, cherry tomato, quail egg and huancaina sauce — a slightly spicy cheese sauce. Sushi lovers will happily devour the Roll Lujoso (Luxurious Roll) featuring avocado, lobster, purple shiso, cucumber and smoked trout eggs.

Experiencing any item on the menu, from comfort food classics like the Empanadas (ají de gallina, chicken, ají amarillo, pecans and Manchego cheese) or Lomo Saltado (stir-fried tenderloin, red onions, tomatoes, soy sauce, cilantro, thick-cut potato wedges served with white rice and choclo) to more avant-garde specialties like Conchitas A La Parmesana, grilled jumbo scallops, 24-month aged parmesan cheese, foam, lime and garlic crumbs, it’s clear Oka’s connection with food is unbridled and pure. It explains why South Floridians flock to La Mar, which, if timed correctly, can include a phenomenal sunset view.

“I’m very grateful that Miami opened its door to me and the community accepted me and hug me. I have amazing friends in the industry and that never happened in any country except Peru.”

La Mar By Gastón Acurio is located at 500 Brickell Key Drive, Miami. For more information call 305-913-8358 or visit mandarinoriental.com/miami/brickell-key/fine-dining/restaurants/peruvian-cuisine/la-mar-by-gaston-acurio.

La Flor De Papa (Potato Flower)

Although this recipe has several steps, the end result, both visually and in flavor, are well worth the effort!

Sunchoke Tartare

4 pieces sunchokes

2 Tbsp. homemade mayonnaise

Salt, to taste

¼ Tbsp. Shichimi togarashi

(Japanese pepper powder)

1 Tbsp. Lime juice

Preparation:

Boil sunchokes until tender, approximately 25 minutes (they should not be too al dente).

Peel and finely dice. Add remaining ingredients.

Beet Causa

2 lbs. (approximately 6-7) Idaho potatoes

8 Tbsp. canola oil

1 cup beet puree, approximately 2-4 beets

3 Tbsp. lime juice

1 Tbsp. salt

Preparation:

Steam the potatoes until tender, about 30 minutes. Peel and put through a rice strainer or mash until silky-like consistency.

Boil beets until tender, 30-40 minutes depending on the size.

When cooked, peel and blend.

When the potato puree is room temperature, add the canola oil, lime juice, salt and the beet puree. Mix well and place in a pastry bag.

Avocado Aioli

1 avocado

1 Tbsp. mayonnaise

Salt, to taste

Juice of 1 lime

3 Tbsp. Olive oil

Preparation:

In a blender (Chef prefers Vitamix) add the avocado, mayonnaise, salt, lime juice and olive oil. Store it in a squeeze bottle with a thin tip.

Plating (1 portion):

1 Tbsp. Sunchoke tartare

½ cup Beet Causa

½ tsp. Osetra caviar

1 Gold leaf

Avocado aioli

Flowers:  mini violets, mini lobelia, mini clavelins and pea shoot leaves  

Preparation:

In the center of a plate, put 1 teaspoon of the sunchoke tartare, cover the sunchoke tartare with the beet causa helped by the pastry bag, making a sphere shape. When all the filling is covered and even, continue with the decoration. Make sure you maintain the round shape.