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Chef Brings Taste Of Peru

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By ANGELA DELGADO, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 14, 2007

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - Find a bowl. Throw in a few shrimp, a couple of scallops imported from Peru, cooked calamari, octopus and chunks of halibut. Add buttermilk, a lot of cilantro and squeeze in some lime juice.

Mix it all up, place onion slivers on top and what do you get? Ceviche, Peru's national dish.

Josh Rivas, chef at his restaurant, Ceviche Fresco, can make this dish within minutes.

"Everybody knows how to make ceviche in Peru," he said. "People are very passionate about their food. Every day they live to eat. It's a third-world country, but every restaurant is always packed."
Peruvian fishermen have taken salt and lime juice with them on trips and made ceviche with the fish they caught, Rivas said.

"Peruvian ceviche is known for being fresh," he said. "It's almost made on the spot."
Rivas opened Ceviche Fresco, 6742 Memorial Highway, three months ago. Although he has run seven restaurants and helped his brother, David Rivas, with his restaurant, Terra Sur Cafe in Carrollwood, this is Rivas' first restaurant. His mother, Vicky, is helping with the cooking duties.

"Being a chef, it's always your dream of opening up your own restaurant," he said.

Rivas' love of food began when he was a boy. Born and raised in Peru, he dreamed of becoming a chef but didn't think it was possible at the time. Instead Rivas became an engineer, and he did that for eight years before quitting and enrolling in the California School of Culinary Arts Le Cordon Bleu program.

He opened a catering business in California before moving to Tampa three years ago to help his brother with Terra Sur. A year and a half later he was ready for his own venture.

Although Rivas went to a French culinary school, he began working with Peruvian dishes and "just fell in love with the food again," he said. Peru has 240 national dishes and "is third in the world as far as flavor goes," Rivas said.

"It's almost like every country has left something there, and it's evolved into something else," he said.
Peruvian food has influences from China, Japan, France, Africa, Italy, Spain and Germany, he said.

Ceviche Fresco is, obviously, a Peruvian restaurant. The small space, decorated in white and black, can hold up to 35 people.

"It's a very intimate, very romantic restaurant," he said. "It's mostly catered toward adults. It's quiet. It's somewhere you can come in and enjoy the food."
Rivas said he decorated the restaurant in neutral colors because he wanted the food to be showcased, not the decor.

Ceviche Fresco serves seafood dishes such as Sudado de Pescado, a steamed Chilean sea bass with a light tomato sofrito broth, and meat dishes such as Seco de Cordero, a braised lamb stew loin, marinated with chicha de jora and cooked with cilantro, garlic and spices.

Of course, the restaurant also has ceviche, at least eight kinds.

Because ceviche is one of the best and most popular dishes at Ceviche Fresco, Rivas plans to conduct cooking classes. Rivas is waiting to compile a group of 8 to 15 people for the class, which will involve closing the restaurant for an afternoon, and teaching the students to cook a five-course meal.
Rivas is also providing tasting tables for loyal customers. On an invite-only basis, two couples will have a five-course meal consisting of foods from different parts of Peru. For Rivas, he said it is a way to thank his customers.

One of his loyal customers is Tina Alexander, who conducts her business lunches at Ceviche Fresco at least once a week.

"I think it's just a nice quaint restaurant," she said. "If you like fish, come."

Ceviche Fresco has attracted customers from Westchase, Brandon, Sarasota and South Tampa. Still, more are welcome.

"I want Tampa to really understand what Peruvian food is all about," Rivas said. "We're more than the stereotype of Spanish food. Different country. Different cuisine. If people have been to Peru, the comments that we get are they feel that they're back in Peru. That makes us feel very good."

CEVICHE FRESCO

LOCATION: 6742 Memorial Highway

PRICES: Lunch meals cost $4.50 to $13. Dinner dishes range from $13 to $28. Ceviche can be purchased for $10 to $18.

HOURS: Lunch 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; dinner 5-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; open noon to 8 p.m. Sundays.

PHONE NUMBER: (813) 882-3032

WEB SITE: www.cevichefresco.com

Reporter Angela Delgado can be reached at (813) 865-1501 or adelgado@tampatrib.com.

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