A New Side of Central

What happens after you become the best in the world?

Written by Daniel Quintero

What's next? How did you get there, and can you do it again? More importantly: why would you want to?

Central’s Pía León and Virgilio Martinez receiving the 2023 No. 1 Placement | Photo The World’s 50 Best

In 2023, Central, the pioneering restaurant led by Virgilio Martínez, became the first Latin American restaurant to top The World's 50 Best Restaurants list. It was a historic milestone, not just for Peru but for the entire continent. Yet, just days before the ceremony, Virgilio told us: "Receiving that recognition is a step in the right direction, but never the final destination." For Central, evolution is constant. Curiosity doesn't end with an award — it only sharpens. And with that mindset after a few years they launched Masi Earth.

For Central, evolution is constant. Curiosity doesn't end with an award. | Photo Camila Novoa

Enter Masi Earth

Born as a platform to share the creative ecosystem behind Central and its research arm, Masi Earth was launched as an immersive travel experience that brought visitors into the beating heart of their world. Participants journeyed from the vibrant Barranco district of Lima, home to Central and Kjolle, to the Andean heights of Cusco, where MIL, their restaurant and research center, operates at 3,600 meters above sea level, within the archaeological complex of Moray.

The Central Immersion a one-day journey offers a unique insight into the inner workings of the restaurant. | Photo Nos3

It was not a typical culinary tour. It was a pilgrimage through ecosystems, cultures, and ideas: encounters with artisans and Andean communities, ingredients and rituals, landscapes and stories that shape everything the group creates.

Now, in 2025, Central introduces a more compact version of this experience: the Central Immersion. This one-day journey offers a unique insight into the inner workings of the restaurant, guided by the people and philosophies that continue to redefine contemporary Latin American cuisine.

A Day in the World of Central

The day begins in the garden, a living archive of plants used across their culinary programs. Guests are welcomed with a warm infusion made from native herbs, followed by demonstrations that reveal the extended life of these plants beyond the plate, like ichu, used both in weaving and as architectural material, or annatto seeds used as pigment, for everything from fabrics to food or coloring.

Ham created in front of you using different parts of Barnacles. | Photo Nos3

From the garden, guests move into the Mater Exhibition where they explain some of the projects that are part of it, from fabrics and weaving, biomaterials, art, ingredients research to the newly created R&D laboratory.

On the second floor, the immersive experience deepens. A tray appears, showcasing ingredients coming from10 mbsl (10 meters below sea level), one of Central's signature dishes. In real time, seaweed is transformed into edible textures; a clam, a scallop, and even a barnacle are prepared and turned into delicate bites, flavor meeting form, with the narrative of place intact.

Researcher Diego Villagrán reveals the boundless potential of coffee, demonstrating how different parts of this extraordinary plant are put to use. |Photo Camila Novoa

On the other side of the lab, the liquid department takes over. Here, ingredients like citrus, coffee, and vanilla are dissected, fermented, and distilled. Guests explore their anatomy and transformation, each element's flavor mapped and repurposed into exceptional cocktails or non-alcoholic creations. Nothing is wasted. Everything is reimagined.

Dining Through Altitudes

Central tasting menu takes you in a 12-course tasting menu that follows altitude. | Photo Ken Motohasi

Afterwards, guests are ushered into the dining room for a 12-course tasting menu that follows altitude instead of chronology, from 50 meters below sea level to 4,000 meters above. Each dish is a celebration of biodiversity, colors, and textures, crafted with ingredients from Peru's many ecosystems. The pairing program is as meticulous as the cuisine: cocktails and wines, or a non-alcoholic route as layered and complex as the alcoholic one.

A Sweet Ending, Rooted in Earth

The journey concludes in the lab, now transformed into a temple of Theobroma, with three different bars of chocolate.

The journey concludes where it began, in the lab, now transformed into a temple of Theobroma, the botanical family to which cacao belongs. Here, guests learn about lesser-known relatives: macambo (bicolor), copoazú (passiflorum), subincanum, and speciosum. A green "chocolate" bar made from leaves; a creamy one made from macambo or a dark one from cusco; each one speaks of biodiversity, sustainability, and imagination.

Finally, guests return to the table one last time. A closing dish appears, built from the many parts of the cacao fruit, transformed into a symphony of textures, sweet, creamy, crisp, airy, with virtually nothing wasted.

Masi is a space for exploration, for discovery and to become part of Central | Photo Camila Novoa

At Masi's Central immersion, luxury is not plated in gold, but in the patient, poetic transformation of the environment, roots, rocks, leaves, and fruits. Here, to taste is to learn, to travel is to remember, and to remember is to honor the Earth that feeds it all.

Discover more experiences at https://masi.earth/experiences

or their socials @masi.earth and @centralrest.