Chef Erik Ramirez has built a thriving career around Nikkei cuisine, bringing it to life at Papa San in New York City. We sat down with the award-winning Chef Erik to talk about his family’s culinary influences, the lessons that still guide his kitchen today, and what he wants diners to understand about Nikkei cuisine.
PURSUITIST: You grew up in Passaic, NJ, and have said your grandmother introduced you to Peruvian and Nikkei cooking. What was the first dish of hers that made you want to become a chef?
Chef Erik Ramirez: My mom was the one who introduced me to Peruvian cooking through the meals she made at home, along with the occasional Italian dishes; she’s half Italian.
I don’t think there was one specific dish that made me want to become a chef. It was more about growing up around my family’s cooking and seeing the care, patience, and generosity that went into feeding everyone. If I had to choose one dish that has stayed with me, it would be my mother’s arroz con pollo. It was simple, comforting, and always brought everyone to the table. Looking back, it wasn’t just the food that inspired me—it was the feeling it created. That’s something I’ve tried to carry into my own cooking.
My maternal grandmother was a wonderful cook, though she wasn’t someone who cooked a wide range of dishes. Her repertoire was small, but everything she made was exceptional. She was half Japanese, but that part of her identity wasn’t really discussed growing u and it wasn’t something she cooked. . It was almost like a family secret, and I didn’t fully learn about it until after she passed away. That’s a whole other story within itself. In many ways, discovering that part of my family’s history became one of the reasons I was drawn to Nikkei cuisine. It was an exploration of my own identity, and I found that food was the best way to connect with a culture I hadn’t known much about.
PURSUITIST: Your culinary background includes Eleven Madison Park. What’s the biggest lesson from that kitchen that still shows up in how you run things today?
Chef Erik Ramirez: What has stayed with me the most from my time at Eleven Madison Park is the attention to detail. It completely changed the way I think about cooking at the highest level. I learned to approach every dish with technical precision and to make sure everything is executed to the best of its ability. No detail is too small; every component, every garnish, every step matters. That mindset has stayed with me throughout my career and continues to shape how I cook and how I lead my kitchens today.
PURSUITIST: How do you define Nikkei cuisine for a diner who’s never heard the term, and what do you wish more people understood about it?
Chef Erik Ramirez: I try to explain the story behind it, the way it represents migration, adaptation, and the blending of two distinct cultures into something completely unique. It’s a cuisine born from cultural exchange, where Japanese techniques and sensibilities meet Peruvian ingredients and tastes. A cuisine rooted in tradition, but one that continues to evolve.
I guess what I wish more people understood is that Nikkei isn’t simply a fusion of two cuisines. It’s cuisine with more than 125 years of history, shaped by generations of Japanese Peruvians.
PURSUITIST: Eel pizza, Head on shrimp, Skate Cheeks — what is the dish you are proudest of on this menu and why?
Chef Erik Ramirez: I’m proud of every dish on the menu, but if I had to choose one, it would be the Eel Pizza. I’m proud of what it represents and what it’s been able to achieve. It takes something as familiar, approachable, and universally loved as pizza and uses it as a way to introduce people to an ingredient they might not otherwise try, like eel. It’s a dish that feels playful and unexpected, but it’s also a great example of how we approach Nikkei cuisine, making it accessible without compromising creativity or flavor.
PURSUITIST: Peru has the third-largest Japanese population outside Japan. How do you balance educating people on that history with just letting the food speak for itself?
Chef Erik Ramirez: I think the food should always come first. If someone enjoys the meal, that’s a great place to start. If they’re curious about the history behind it, I’m always happy to share it.
For me, the story adds another layer of appreciation and understanding where it comes from gives people a deeper connection to what they’re eating. But at the end of the day, the food has to stand on its own.
PURSUITIST: You had Tres Monos design the cocktail program- how involved are you in pairing food and drink, and is there a pairing on the menu right now you’re especially excited about?
Chef Erik Ramirez: Yes, it’s always been important to me that the kitchen and bar work together. We want the ingredients and flavors in the cocktails to reflect what we’re doing in the food, so there’s a real connection to the overall concept rather than having the two exist separately.
A good example is our Chilcano Izakaya. It incorporates the flavors of chimichurri, which is a condiment we use with one of our grilled dishes. Those kinds of shared ingredients create a natural connection between the food and the cocktails, making the overall dining experience feel more cohesive.
PURSUITIST: What restaurant in New York (other than your own) do you think every serious food lover needs to experience?
Chef Erik Ramirez: That’s tough to say, because there are so many great restaurants out there, but if I had to choose one it would be Estela. When I started Llama Inn about 10 years ago, it was a place where I drew inspiration from.
PURSUITIST: If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?
Chef Erik Ramirez: Honestly, I have no idea. Cooking is the only career I’ve ever really wanted, and it’s been such a big part of my life for so long that it’s hard to imagine doing anything else. I never really had a backup plan. But if I weren’t a chef, I’d probably be doing something creative, maybe working in music, architecture or design.
PURSUITIST: Guilty pleasures: What do you eat when nobody is looking?
Chef Erik Ramirez: Junk food, but everything in moderation.
