Chef Ricardo Zarate, a master chef recognized by Michelin and the James Beard Foundation, introduced Peruvian cuisine to Los Angeles, where he was named “the godfather of Peruvian food.” On August 1, 2024, he founded The Hummingbird Ceviche House in Los Angeles to rave reviews. 

Growing up in Lima, Peru, he earned the nickname “Colibri” (hummingbird in Spanish) by tapping on his neighbors’ doors to ask them to teach him recipes. 

After attending his hometown cooking school, he took a leap of faith in relocating to London at age 18 to advance his career. During 12 years there, he mastered English, graduated from Westminster Kingsway College of Culinary Arts, honed his craft at world-class establishments such as One Aldwych Hotel, and was a founding chef at the now-global Zuma.

He arrived in L.A. in 2009 and established Mo-Chica, about which The Los Angeles Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold wrote, “Mo Chica was revelatory, a stall in a food court that re-created traditional Peruvian saltados and ceviches…and was honored on must-dine lists. It earned him the Best New Chef award.” 

Between 2010 and 2020, he launched Picca, named GQ’s “Best New Restaurant” and Conde Nast Traveler’s “Hot Table,” earning him the title of Food & Wine’s “Best New Chef.” He opened Paiche in Marina Del Rey, one of Esquire’s “Best New Restaurants; published “The Fire of Peru” cookbook; co-founded Rosaliné in West Hollywood, which topped numerous “Best of” lists, and was one of the LA Times’ “101 Best Restaurants,” and initiated Once at the Venetian in Vegas. 

After testing new Nikkei concepts at his Colibri Pop-Ups in Hollywood and West Hollywood, he opened his self-owned The Hummingbird Ceviche House in LA’s Echo Park in August 2024. Within a few months, it was awarded “Top New Restaurant” by Infatuation LA and Time Out LA, and won OpenTable’s Diners’ Choice, which it won again in 2025. 

He was awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand twice and is a four-time James Beard Award Finalist. Chef Zarate’s contributions to and impact on the American food scene cannot be overestimated.