Bites Nearby: Terra Sur Cafe

Yannina and David Rivas are the husband-and-wife team behind Terra Sur Café,  a Peruvian restaurant on West Village Drive in Carrollwood.  Terra Sur’s menu has influences from around the world—much like the food from Peru—with an emphasis on seafood.

While sipping a delicious juice made predominately from purple corn that's indigenous to Peru, Patch’s Gina Melton sat down with Yannina Rivas, the chef at Terra Sur, to discuss Peruvian cuisine, her culinary influences and Lomo Saltaldo.

Patch: How would you describe Peruvian cuisine?

YR: Lots of fresh seafood and spices. Corn is also a prevalent ingredient. We use seven different types of chilies in our cooking, and all are imported directly from Peru.

Patch: What is one of your favorite food memories?

YR: My Dad loved this lamb stew that had a cilantro base to it.  As kids, It was something that we looked forward to eating and would usually only have on Sundays. We have that same stew featured on Sunday’s on the Terra Sur menu. I still love it.

Patch: Besides the lamb stew, what are some of the more popular dishes on the menu?

YR: The ceviches - we have three on the menu - as well as the stir-frys. The Lomo Saltaldo, which is seasoned beef sautéed with red onions, plump tomatoes and fresh herbs, is a favorite. Our menu has influences from all over the world—Italy, China and Japan—and that’s because Peru has influences from all of those cultures. It gives us the chance to fuse the cuisines together. For example, I’m working on a pasta dish where the base of the sauce is one of those imported Peruvian chilies.

Patch: Are there any celebrity chefs you like to watch?

YR: Gordon Ramsay is really entertaining. I can’t believe some of the restaurants he goes into, and how the owners and cooks have no clue what they are doing. It’s amazing how he turns them around.

Patch: What makes a good cook?

YR: I don’t think formal education is the only thing that defines a good cook. You have to have a passion from what you do. I learned a lot of the cooking techniques I use from David’s mother, who is a great Peruvian cook, which instilled a love of cooking in me. Passion and imagination is what makes a good cook.

Patch: When you are at home, what do you like to prepare for your family?

YR: We like to keep it simple and grill out a lot. Most of the time using items we bring home from the restaurant, like the great marinades that we make in-house.