Chef From One of the World’s Top 50 Restaurants Returns Home to Houston

When a life changing chance to cook at one of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants emerged, Houston chef Toya Terry packed her bags and boarded a flight to Peru.

The three-month stint at Astrid y Gastón — the Lima-based eatery which clocks in as the No. 33 restaurant in the world in the revered rankings — not only furthered her passion for Peruvian cuisine, but tested her mental and physical strength.

“I learned so much about myself as a chef and a person. I learned that I don’t need as much sleep as I thought,” Terry tells PaperCity. “We were working 18 hour days, but it was nice because we were all in the trenches together.”

Prior to her international culinary jaunt, Terry served as the junior sour chef at Holley’s Seafood Restaurant before landing the executive sous chef position at The Original Brenner’s Steakhouse. Now, she’s flexing her Peruvian chops honed at Astrid y Gastón stateside by partnering with pop-up dinner titans Aces of Taste for an exclusive four-course pop-up dinner.

Brace yourself for artfully plated Peruvian cuisine featuring everything from tender octopus finished with culantro oil and Kalamata olive aioli to Peruvian-style sweet potato beignets served with chancaca honey.

The night’s dinner will also benefit the Living Bank, which helps the advancement of living organ donation to further alleviate the critical shortage of organs available for life-saving transplants.

What: The Living Bank Dinner with chef Toya Terry

When: Friday, June 16, 6 to 9 pm

Where: Firestation No. 2, 317 Sampson Street

Tariff: $100; (PaperCity readers can use the discount code PC20.)

View the full menu and purchase tickets here.