SUSTAINABILITY IN SIGNATURE CUISINE: EMERGING PRACTICES AND TRENDS IN PERUVIAN RESTAURANTS

This study explores how Peruvian signature cuisine restaurants integrate sustainability into their culinary practices, a topic of growing relevance in the contemporary gastronomic industry. Faced with current environmental and social challenges, gastronomy is conceived not only as a cultural expression but also as a space for ethical and ecological responsibility. In this context, this paper was aimed to analyze how sustainable culinary practices are managed in Peruvian signature cuisine restaurants. To this end, the study used a phenomenological qualitative research design involving twelve in-depth interviews with chefs from signature cuisine restaurants, which were then complemented by observation. Data triangulation and coding techniques were applied for subsequent data analysis. The findings showed that chefs conceive sustainability as an ethical value inherent to their profession, beyond a mere commercial strategy. However, their practices are implemented intuitively or empirically, without relying on formal conceptual frameworks of sustainability, which results in a lack of integration of their social, economic, and cultural dimensions. The study confirms a growing trend toward incorporating sustainable practices into Peruvian haute cuisine, driven primarily by environmental awareness among chefs. However, this sustainability remains partial: it focuses on reducing waste and using natural resources responsibly, but it omits equally important dimensions. Moving toward sustainable gastronomy requires not only ethical intent, but also training, institutional policies, and collaborative networks that integrate social, economic, and cultural pillars of sustainability. This finding prompts us to rethink haute cuisine both as an art and as a transformative agent in current food systems.