Welcome to Beyond the Plating! This will be a series of blogs that takes my love of food photography and combines it with the stories, passion, and knowledge from great restaurants and restaurateurs. The idea behind this series is to showcase unique cuisines, matched with unique stories on how restaurants get started, how they interact with their community, and what drives them into the future.
Our second stop on this journey…
Inka Grill Peruvian Cuisine
Life is funny sometimes. One day you could be assigned an Uber Eats shoot at a brand new restaurant and go there with zero expectations, but then leave having received a life changing and eye opening experience. This is how I found Inka Grill.
Inka Grill is situated in Downtown Ranoke’s historic Patrick Henry building, and is no casual dining burger joint, as I initially assumed. Owned by Anny, Jonathan, Percy, and Eddy, Inka Grill is Peruvian cuisine brought to life.
Anny and Chef Eddy explained to me that Peruvian culture is defined by its food, using fresh ingredients, and being cooked by people that, regardless of gender or age, are passionate. Eddy learned first hand that cooking is for the whole family. He grew up working in his mother’s restaurant in Peru, which sparked his passion for cooking. And why wouldn’t it? Peru is known for its biodiversity and wide array of produce. Heck they are known for being the land of 4,000 different varieties of potatoes.
The Inca were the ancient people of Peru, capable of building great wonders like Machu Picchu. Todays Peruvians build great wonders through their culture and cuisine which take inspiration from Peru’s three distinct natural regions: the Andes Mountains, the Amazon Rainforest, and the ocean coast.
I have learned about Peruvian cuisine from several food documentaries recently. When discussing the cuisine with Eddy and Anny, my knowledge expands. Each of Peru’s regions have their own way of cooking, Eddy explains, but are not set in their ways. When asked what defines Peruvian cuisine, one word stuck out: fusion. Eddy cites Japanese cuisine as a source of his inspiration and highlights parallels between Peruvian and Japanese cuisines. Both cultures strive for fresh ingredients and love to use raw fish. For Peruvian cuisine, raw fish isn’t rolled into sushi, instead it is used in their flagship dish: ceviche.
Unlike Latin ceviche, Peruvian ceviche is made and “assembled in the moment,” they tell me. With such a wide array of ingredients the consistent elements are fish and citrus, everything else can be tweaked. I had the pleasure of watching Eddy put a ceviche dish together for our shoot. His practiced hands moved swiftly across his station, only pausing to contemplate his choices. You can tell with all the craftsmanship he puts into his dishes, that he loves to do this.
Eddy wants you to know that he is doing what he loves and always gives his best, this is his passion. When coming to Inka Grill you can rest easy knowing that you are in good hands. Eddy melds taste, presentation, fusion, and always brings something new to the table. And the service is top notch.
Eddy and Percy have a similar goal when it comes to Inka Grill: to provide a spark of new cuisine in the Roanoke area while showcasing Peruvian cuisine. When you walk in their door, you are going to have a great dining experience.
As I gaze around Inka Grill, I can see the ways it resonates the Peruvian culture within its walls.
The kitchen is the ocean, flowing with creativity and supplying fresh ingredients to create spectacular food
The dining room is the Amazon Rainforest, with dark wood and a warm environment that epitomizes the idea of comfort, relaxation, and a bit of adventure.
And the staff are the Andes Mountains, the backbone of the restaurant, providing the experience and passion to raise up Peruvian cuisine for all to witness.
It is no surprise that the two co-owners have a similar vision, they are brothers, they were both raised on the foundation of a culture of fresh, fusion cuisine in their mom's kitchen.
I want to thank the whole Inka Grill family for letting me take photographs of their wonderful food, and for sharing their stories, and Peruvian cuisine and culture with me. I highly suggest making your way down Jefferson Avenue to the Patrick Henry building to experience some amazing cuisine! Whether or not you have had ceviche before, I can almost certainly guarantee that you have never had ceviche like the ones they serve at Inka Grill.
I would also like to thank my wife Steph, for helping me write and refine my words to make a wonderful story!
Thanks for all the Likes, Love and Shares!
-Taylor Reschka