The making of a cookbook involves a communal effort in which many people contribute in more than one way. This book is no exception, and I would like to thank everyone at Skyhorse Publishing, and in particular Tony Lyons, for giving us the opportunity of doing what we love: creating books! Many thanks to Kristin Kulsavage, our editor on this project. It has been a pleasure to work with you throughout this process.
Special thanks and love to Rob Trehy, who made this book possible, and who is constantly encouraging us with cheerful enthusiasm. Thank you for being our official English language proofreader at late hours of the night, and for all the gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches you cooked for us when working tirelessly to meet deadlines.
Thanks to my baby brother, Chef Roberto Cuadra, for sharing with us delicious ideas, recipes, and photos from your wonderful Peruvian restaurant in San Salvador. Your invaluable help and talent has been a key factor in the making of this book, and we consider it to be yours too.
My deepest love and gratitude to my cousins Carolina and Oscar Alvarez, who were part of this, and other previous adventures, since day one. It was a blessing to have the chance to work for several weeks in your beautiful and fully equipped kitchen overlooking the forest. Your home is a cook´s—and a writer´s—dream. Working there has been inspiring and relaxing, and I couldn´t have found a better place for photo shooting my dishes. Thanks for your friendship, continuous love, support, and generous hospitality.
All my gratitude to my dear Peruvian friends and talented chefs, Ximena Llosa, Flavio Solorzano, Paola Cubas, and Hajime Kasuga, for sharing their unique recipes, first in our blog, and now in this book. A big thank you to Manuel Villacorta too, for his creative and nutritious recipes, and all his insights about Peruvian superfoods. You guys rock!
I would like to thank my lovely daughter-in-law, Antonella Delfino, who is now part of Peru Delights, and constantly shares with us her family’s kitchen gems and the beautiful pictures she takes of them. While working on this book, Antonella gave birth to my first granddaughter, Fátima, the most beautiful baby in the whole world.
Thanks, as always, to Alex Smith, Rachel Bowen, and Hector Escardó, for your first-class technical support, without which we wouldn’t be here. You are part of the Peru Delights family and we are very grateful for that. And many thanks to the super talented Andrea Franco Batievsky, from Nuhr Studio, for her love and beautiful videos.
Thanks to Charles Lyons for his generous support and friendship, and for bringing Peru Delights to life in his Bright Leaf Pictures videos. Thanks to our fellow Latina bloggers, for their friendship, and for helping us become better bloggers, writers, and businesswomen every day. And a warm and special thank you to all my Peruvian friends, who constantly amaze me with their love and support.
Thanks to all PeruDelights.com’s readers and followers, many of whom have become real-life friends. It is an honor to share our recipes with all of you, to interact through social media, and to get your kind and encouraging emails all the time. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.
And to my angel of love, Morena Escardó, who every single day teaches me something new. Having the chance to work with you is a dream come true. I love you with all my heart.