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What do the pope and this Miami chef have in common? Love for Peru.

What do the pope and this Miami chef have in common? Love for Peru.

Axios16-05-2025

If you didn't already believe that eating at Maty's was a religious experience, get this: Chef Valerie Chang Cumpa hails from the same Peruvian town where Pope Leo XIV served as bishop.
Catch up quick: The Chinese-Peruvian chef — a member of the award-winning Chang family that ran Itamae together — grew up in Chiclayo, Peru, before moving to Miami at age 10.
Pope Leo, a naturalized Peruvian citizen, served as bishop of Chiclayo until 2023. His ascendance to the papacy has brought newfound attention to the Peruvian community there.
One restaurant, Las Americas, has a sign outside its door that reads: "The pope ate here."
"In Chiclayo, we're very proud of our food," Chang Cumpa tells Axios.
What they're saying: Chang Cumpa says she had her first communion in Chiclayo's main cathedral, where Pope Leo has held Mass. Some of her family members have met him before.
Chang Cumpa was on her way to work last week as she listened to the newly elected pope's first public address.
When the pope switched from Italian to Spanish to send a message to his Peruvian diocese, she was beside herself.
"I honestly thought he was going to speak in English. When he said that about Chiclayo, I couldn't believe it. How beautiful. My home town."
The big picture: Chang Cumpa, a James Beard Award-winning chef, celebrates her family's roots at Maty's, her Peruvian restaurant in Midtown named after her late grandmother.
One of the many family photos that hang on the wall — of her great-grandparents' wedding — is from 1928.
"It's beyond the food. It's a love letter to thank my grandma for everything she did," Chang Cumpa said in a recent episode of Toast web series " Signature Dish."
State of play: Chang Cumpa tells Axios that Miami's diversity has propelled the 305 into the culinary capital it is today.
In her own family, Chang Cumpa says she doesn't take the awards or recognition for granted.
Her brother is Michelin-star chef Nando Chang of Itamae Ao, and their father, Fernando "Papa" Chang, heads up B-Side at 1-800-Lucky.
"We're still immigrants. We still have that immigrant fight and that desire to do right by our parents, who did a lot of fighting."
Zoom in: On the Toast show, Chang Cumpa says the most popular dish at Maty's is the scallop cebiche — a savory seafood dome covered with sliced grapes and topped with cilantro leche de tigre.
"Basically every table that comes in to eat orders one of these," Chang Cumpa tells host Sophia Roe.
Chef's recs: Here are chef Valerie's favorite Peruvian restaurants in Miami (that are not owned by her family).

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What to Get Your Food-Loving Dad for Father's Day
What to Get Your Food-Loving Dad for Father's Day

Eater

timean hour ago

  • Eater

What to Get Your Food-Loving Dad for Father's Day

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Sudbury's new Cortina 64 will bring back memories of great pizza
Sudbury's new Cortina 64 will bring back memories of great pizza

Hamilton Spectator

time2 hours ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

Sudbury's new Cortina 64 will bring back memories of great pizza

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The Local Journalism Initiative is made possible through funding from the federal government. Bluesky: @ X: @SudburyStar Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

Days of Our Lives Recap: How Does Cat Know Sami?
Days of Our Lives Recap: How Does Cat Know Sami?

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Days of Our Lives Recap: How Does Cat Know Sami?

Days of Our Lives Recap: How Does Cat Know Sami? originally appeared on Daytime Confidential. On today's Days of Our Lives recap: The Spectator: Chad arrives as Leo works on John Black's obituary. Leo suddenly remembers today is the day of Chad's skydiving date with Cat. He is terrified which sends Leo into one of his stories, which does Chad no good. They discuss the feelings Cat had for Chad and Leo wonders if she's still holding on to hope. He suggests Chad cancel the date for both their sakes. Leo is on the phone with the copy editor talking about the integrity of his work when Jack walks in and gets snarky. Leo says a lot has changed since Jack has been gone. He is now a legitimate journalist. Jack knows and says Leo is doing a good job with his work. Leo is thrilled by the compliment and Jack notes he is quite the asset to the paper. The mood changes when Jack says Leo's mother must be proud. Jack knows Diana has changed so much since she sold him The Spectator. 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Doug freaks out and heads back behind the bar. Arianna heads to the bar to get flirty with Doug when Holly approaches and hugs Arianna. Doug freaks out a bit as he realizes the two women in his life are very familiar with one another. Arianna Grace explains she returned home recently which turned out to be good timing as her grandfather just passed away. Holly freaks out when she realizes she's talking about John. Very quickly, she excuses herself and makes her exit. Young Douglas makes the connection in Holly and Arianna Grace's ages and questions how they met in a bar. She says she has a fake idea and then he nervously makes sure she is actually of legal age. He heaves a sigh of relief when he learns they slept together the night of her birthday. She says she would really like to see him again and Doug is totally on board. Outside, someone takes a picture of their encounter. With that, she makes her exit and Doug takes a 30-minute break. 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Holly wanted to make certain he was ok as she still cares about him. Tate is confused as he thought she was pretty cozy with young Douglas. Holly says they are just friends. He apologizes for what he did to Doug and says he misses her. Holly says his father sort of told her the same. The truth is she really missed him, too. Just then, Tate gets a text from Sophia who is on her way over. Horton House: Julie is ordering flowers or Marlea when Jack and Jennifer Rose arrive home. She embraces them both but wishes they hadn't returned for another sad occasion. Jack notes they have some good news to celebrate, and they discuss Bo's recovery. Jack decides to run over to The Spectator and heads out. Julie and Jennifer Rose take a seat. JRo asks how she's doing. Julie says her grief counseling with Marlena was going well until her wedding anniversary rolled around and Bo was dying and now, they've lost John. She has now begun to feel the grief all over again. JRo wants to support her, and Julie says how grateful she is for their arrival. Julie and JRo catch up on young Douglas and how she kicked him out. Julie says Doug was no angel himself, but he never lied to her. They chat about the necklace and JRo says she is using all of her contacts to try and locate the necklace. Just then, Julie gets a notification and says she promised Marlena she would pick up her dry cleaning before the funeral. She hates to leave JRo and says Chad will be home soon if he survived his skydiving date with Cat. JRo is rightfully surprised and annoyed by this turn of events. Horton Square: Cat and Chad meet up. She doesn't want him to do anything with which he is uncomfortable and is cool if he wants to back out. Chad says he is totally in as he thinks they should do something every day that scares them. They get all kinds of adorably cute with one another as they prepare to make the jump. Kat says after her accident she was in a deep depression and going skydiving made her feel alive again (I had totally forgotten about the accident. I wonder if that's the connection to Sami). Endings Tate apologizes saying they have a labor and delivery tour at the hospital. He asks Holly if they could continue their conversation another time. She agrees and they exchange kind words before she exits. Young Douglas tells Leo everything about Arianna Grace and Holly, as well as the loan shark who continues to harass him. Leo gets real and says he can pursue two women at the same time as long as they don't find out. Further, he needs to find a way to make some quick money as loan sharks are no joke. A photographer watches Arianna Grace and continues to take pictures. Gabi admits to going to the DiMera estate the night of the shooting but promises she didn't even see EJ that night. She only heard him arguing with someone. She wonders if the shooter actually broke into their home and took the evidence. Cat says they should head over to the airfield but Chad is stuck, until she pulls him away. Jennier Rose is furious about the Cat and Chad situation when Jack returns. Keep checking back for the latest Days of Our Lives recaps! This story was originally reported by Daytime Confidential on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.

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