The Bold and the Flavorful
ALPAMAYO RESTAURANT’S SECRET FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESS
By Benjamin Lerner
THE RICH and tantalizing scent of perfectly seasoned steak and farm-fresh vegetables lingers in the air as Javier Fernandez walks out of Alpamayo’s kitchen. He moves with confidence as he approaches two of his customers at their table, yet his affect is both friendly and gracious. He clasps his hands with deferential poise as he asks about the first bites of their meal. They respond with enthusiastic praise, and Javier’s eyes light up as he turns back towards the kitchen.
Javier Fernandez and Alicia Mamani in their Alpamayo Restaurant, named after one of the most conspicuous peaks in the Cordillera Blanca of the Peruvian Andes.
It’s been over a decade since Javier and his partner, Alicia Mamani, first opened Alpamayo on Main Street in downtown Lee, and they still greet every diner who walks through their doors with gratitude. After years of hard work, they have garnered a dedicated following. Thanks to their tenacious optimism and honest business practices, they have been able to find prosperity and long-term stability in the Berkshires restaurant scene.
Javier was born and raised in the city of Huaraz in the Ancash region of Peru. He grew up in a picturesque valley between the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra mountain ranges. Alpamayo—the majestic snowcapped peak from which his restaurant gets its name—is situated in the Cordillera Blanca of the Peruvian Andes. In his adolescence, Javier started working in the local restaurants. The time he spent there helped him to develop a strong work ethic.
“In my home country, you have to work hard to make it, regardless of what your career is. There aren’t many opportunities where I was from, but the restaurant business was always good to me. I really liked working in kitchens. I still use a lot of what I learned in my cooking today.”
After completing a government-sponsored hospitality certification program and graduating from school, Javier relocated to Lima, Peru. He worked his way up through a series of service industry positions until he became a skilled and respected bartender. After spending years at several establishments in Lima’s Miraflores District, Javier was selected—after a national competition—to represent his country in an international bartending competition in Mexico.
As a result of their victory at the competition, Javier took an offer to work in Mexico, then moved to Maryland to pursue new opportunities in the American food service industry. After traveling to the Berkshires on several occasions, Javier fell in love with the region’s bucolic beauty.
“From my earliest memories, I always lived in a city or big town. After I moved to America, I was living in southern Maryland and in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. That place was nice in its own way, but I wanted something different.”
Javier lived with his sister in Maryland and first went to the Berkshires to visit a friend. He returned two more times, and on the last visit he stayed.
“It was unlike anywhere else I had ever been,” Javier says. “The air was so clean, and it was so beautiful. I knew that I wanted to move up here.”
He met Alicia in Maryland and brought her back to the Berkshires in 2009. They bought the building at 60 Main Street in Lee on January 31, 2010, and opened Alpamayo six months later. “It makes us feel safe knowing that we have something permanent in our name,” says Alicia. “We’re free to run our business the way that we want.”
“It took a lot of hard work to get people to come and try Peruvian food at first,” adds Javier. “We stood out on the street and invited people to try it, but most of them still wouldn’t come in. At first, we told people that if they didn’t like the food, they wouldn’t have to pay. When people finally did come in, they loved it! We grew our business one customer at a time.”
(In 2019, they opened Prado’s Cafe across the street, which serves American-style breakfast and lunch.)
According to Alicia, the subtle and flavorful seasoning of their food is what sets Alpamayo apart from other restaurants. They use their own condiments and seasoning blends in the kitchen.
“We use recipes from our home country,” says Alicia. “Our spicy Aji peppers give the food a lot of flavor, but it’s not too spicy. We tell people that seasoning doesn’t have to be spicy—it just makes the food taste even better.”
Alpamayo, Peak in the Cordillera Blanca of the Peruvian Andes.
By utilizing a blend of Peruvian peppers and spices, Javier and Alicia have been able to create bold and unique flavor profiles that compliment a variety of dishes. The refreshing citric acidity of their Ceviche Mixto is perfect for discerning seafood lovers, and their steaks, poultry, and grilled fish are cooked to perfection with a wide variety of delectable sauces and seasonings.
In addition to sourcing a large portion of their produce from local farms, Javier and Alicia butcher and filet their meat and fish in their own kitchen—and go out of their way to make sure nothing goes to waste. They take immense pride in their recipes.
“I prepare and cook everything on order. Everything is done in the moment,” says Javier. Adds Alicia, “We love teaching people about our food, and we love it when a new customer tries it for the first time and enjoys it.”