Vanessa

Vanessa Gonzalez-Hernandez, a passionate advocate for cultural preservation and community building, has spent over fifteen years in New York City, bridging her Peruvian roots with her life in the United States. Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Vanessa's connection to her heritage is deeply tied to the culinary traditions she grew up with. She holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing and Advertising Communications from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and a master's in Tourism Management from New York University.

Vanessa's professional journey is as diverse as her cultural experiences. She currently works in travel trade marketing, where she educates operators and agencies on promoting destinations. Her love for Peruvian cuisine and culture is evident in her podcast, El Poder de Emigrar, and her co-founding of the Peruana Collective, a community dedicated to sharing and celebrating Peruvian culture in New York. Through her Instagram, @peruvianchicainnyc, Vanessa continues to connect with her Peruvian roots and share her culinary explorations with a broader audience

Juices from the pollo saltado seep into the tall piles of tallarines verdes beside them on the plate. A pitcher of dark purple chicha morada sits on a vibrant pink and orange Andean placemat. The sun shines brightly through the west-facing corner window, brightening the entire room on this cold and wintery day. Flavors from the tender and sweet onions meld with the creamy noodles in each bite. Delectable. Transportative. “I close my eyes and it brings me back to my childhood,” Vanessa says. There is a pure joy in her words that so beautifully captures what it feels like to be sitting here, at her dining room table, with her and sister, Magaly, on this Sunday afternoon in March.

The dish that we are eating is one that Magaly, a professional chef, prepares upon request as part of her catering services. She has brought it to Vanessa’s apartment today to share with us, finding her way into her sister’s kitchen with ease and familiarity. Jazz music plays in the background as I watch the two sisters side-by-side in the kitchen. They fall into a gentle rhythm, Magaly reheating the noodles over the stovetop while Vanessa gathers cups and plates and talks to us about her love for Peruvian food. 

Vanessa tells us that whenever her mom and grandma would ask her what she wanted to eat that she never had to give it any thought. “Tallarines verdes please,” she would tell them, full of excitement and zest that still radiates from her today. The pasta dish, which was introduced into Peruvian cuisine by Italian immigrants, is a version of pesto made with basil, spinach, queso fresco and evaporated milk. It is one that has been cooked for generations in Vanessa’s family and one that Magaly makes in honor of her grandma. It is a dish that is always on the table whenever Vanessa visits her family in Peru. Far more than just being something to eat, tallarines verdes is a love language for Vanessa’s family. 

Eating dishes like the ones prepared by her sister today is how Vanessa, who immigrated to New York City from Lima fifteen years ago, has maintained strong connections to her family and to Peru. Throughout her first few years in the city, while she was getting her bachelors in Marketing and Advertising Communications at FIT, she found comfort in going to eat at Peruvian restaurants. She says, “I felt that every time I went to a Peruvian restaurant, I was going back home at least for an hour or two.” With enthusiasm, she continues to talk to us about food as a journey. “When I think of ceviche, it reminds me of when I go to La Punta or to one of the beaches in Peru.” Cultivating this sense of connection and sharing it with her Peruvian community in the city is very important to Vanessa. She shares stories of immigrants on her podcast, El Poder de Emigrar and is the co-founder of a Peruvian community called the Peruana Collective. She continues to post about restaurants that she goes to on her Instagram, @peruvianchicainnyc. 

Vanessa has a masters in Tourism Management from NYU and currently works in travel trade marketing, educating operators, travel agencies and travel agents on how to best promote and sell destinations she represents. 

As I take another sip of the delicious and sweet chicha morada, I listen to Vanessa and Magaly talk about the ghost kitchen, Qoyas they set up with their mom to bring Peruvian food into homes in the city during the pandemic and about how Vanessa used her expertise in marketing and branding to help Magaly grow her business as a chef. She connected Magaly to the ambassador of the Peruvian consulate of New York, who Magaly now caters events for. It is apparent, from the moment I met the two sisters, that family is at the heart of everything that they do. 

Vanessa and Magaly have a kind of warmth and kindness that, like the dish that we are eating, transports. Throughout our meal, the room fills with memories, family stories and laughter. I bask in it all as I savor my last few bites. 

Text by Meg Adler