Inside the Mind of Juan Chipoco
The saga of a Gables resident and global restauranteur who redefined fine Peruvian dining
The CVI.CHE 105 Peruvian restaurant in The Plaza Coral Gables is nothing if not spectacular. Upon entering, you’re drawn to the center of the huge dining room where a chandelier hovers above a golden eye, perfectly aligned with the fixture above. Gold chains drape down like scalloped valances, bringing Las Vegas to mind. In one corner, a giant block of quartz hangs over a table for two, suspended by thousands of colored strings that cast a rainbow prism around the crystal. Golden Incan masks, along with wooden statues of mermaids, dragons, and alligators are scattered throughout, while sections of the walls feature fish-scale tiles that shimmer in shades of iridescent purple, green, copper, and blue. Above the entrance to the kitchen, a lit-up sign reads “SHOWTIME.”
Given these larger-than-life portraits, you can’t help but wonder, “What the hell? Who is this guy?”
Amidst this forest of fascinating objects, the most striking visuals are a series of oversized, backlit photos of a man in various incarnations. In some, he is depicted as an ancient warrior, shirtless and covered in red paint, walking through a desert with Photoshopped flames in the foreground. On the wall behind the bar, a series shows him painted entirely in blue with various aquatic creatures – one features an octopus draped over his head – giving him the aura of a Peruvian Poseidon. On the way to the bathroom, large photos show the same man covered in flashes of neon paint, one with explosions of glitter in the air.
Given these larger-than-life portraits, you can’t help but wonder, “What the hell? Who is this guy?” The images are all of Juan Chipoco, the mastermind and chef behind the chain of CVI.CHE 105 restaurants in South Florida. Since opening his first CVI.CHE 105 in Miami in 2008, Chipoco has become a prominent figure in the city’s dining scene. With over 1,000 employees across nine locations, his restaurants move more than 20,000 pounds of fish each week, serving roughly 6,000 diners daily. The location in Coral Gables, where Chipoco lives with his family, is the most recent and now the chain’s flagship location.
Chipoco has been featured in numerous media, both print and broadcast, including on Fox and ABC. He recently released his biography and launched the Juan Chipoco Foundation; all proceeds from his book will go to the foundation to combat food insecurity and promote nutrition education. With all of his accolades and the outlandish projections of his persona, it’s hard to imagine Chipoco when he first arrived in this country – a 19-year-old fresh from Peru, sleeping on friends’ couches and working illegally at a Chinese restaurant. It is even harder to connect the flamboyant decor with Chipoco himself, a surprisingly unassuming man in person, as I discovered when I meet him for an interview – and a sampling of the cuisine that propelled his restaurants to success.
THE FIRST COURSE
As I take a seat, Chipoco’s eyes dart back and forth behind me, scanning his restaurant for any chairs slightly out of place or customers looking for their waiter. The look on his face suggests he’s solving a complex equation: how to deliver a perfect CVI.CHE 105 experiences to every patron. When our server brings the first dish to our table, Chipoco eagerly jumps in to explain. It is the catch of the day, twirled into a rose, topped with red onions and cilantro, and resting in a tricolor mixture of leche de tigre. He looks up at me, proudly declaring, “It’s Ceviche Da Vinci, a true work of art.” As we begin to deconstruct the ceviche rose, Chipoco opens up about his childhood.
“My father died when I was seven,” he shares. “My mom was 33, and I was the oldest brother, so I knew in my heart that I had to be an example for my siblings. I always tried to be the provider.” Chipoco did whatever he could to contribute, like selling ice pops he made with his grandmother to help pay for schoolbooks. These he sold on the beach, already keenly aware of the dynamics of customer demand. As he grew older, Chipoco took on various jobs. At 15, he became the top salesperson at a clothing store and then moved on to his aunt’s bakery, waking up at 4:30 am every day to go to work.
When he turned 18, Chipoco felt his destiny lay in the United States. He arrived in Miami on a six-month tourist visa. The first month was difficult, as Chipoco struggled to find work with no papers and little English. Eventually, he found a job at a Chinese restaurant. “After a month of searching, I was desperate. I said, ‘Look, I have to work because I need to eat. Let me work for free, and if you see my value, then you can pay me,’” Chipoco recalls, adjusting his diamond-encrusted watch. For three months, he washed dishes, bussed tables, and worked as a line cook – anything the restaurant needed.
Juan Chipoco on the struggle of finding his first job in Miami
From there, Chipoco moved across the street to a Peruvian- Chinese restaurant, known as a chifa. “I started as a dishwasher, then moved up to a prep cook. I did everything. Eventually, I was the chef ’s right hand, learning all the recipes and processes,” he explains. “Being in charge of the kitchen isn’t just about cooking. It’s about organizing the inventory, managing orders, and paying attention to details like cleaning.” He recalls how he and the owner would often stay until 2 am, scouring grease traps and perfecting every detail, building a sense of camaraderie that felt almost like family. The contrast with today is striking: Chipoco reminiscing about wiping up grease while dressed in a perfectly tailored designer suit at his own restaurant. As he reflects on his early days learning the food business, his eyes take on a distant look, as if he’s transported back in time. He quickly snaps back to the present the moment he spots our waiter approaching with the second course.
THE SECOND COURSE
The next dish that arrives at our table is a sushi platter that looks like an offering fit for Incan royalty: the diamond platter. It consists of oysters with yuzu leche de tigre; hamachi, salmon, and tuna sashimi; wagyu, scallop, and eel nigiri, the restaurant’s three best; crispy rice topped with lobster; and the ceviche ganador (the winner’s ceviche). Once again, Chipoco surveys the restaurant, momentarily drifting out of our conversation as he assesses the atmosphere and greets approaching regulars.
While working at the chifa, Chipoco started going to the gym. “I saw pictures of men in magazines, the bodybuilders with muscles, and I wanted to look like that. I used to be so out of shape,” he says. For Chipoco, going to the gym was more than a casual pursuit; it was a complete lifestyle change. After he left the restaurant at midnight, he’d go to the gym for two hours, sometimes staying until it closed at 3 am. Eventually, he began selling memberships and training people in addition to his restaurant job. Today, a quick scroll through Chipoco’s Instagram shows him in his home gym, offering inspirational advice, almost like a motivational video. “You just have to do it,” Chipoco tells me. “I was overweight and wanted to have a six-pack. It was challenging, but in my mind, everything is possible – difficult, but possible.” His focus and discipline are evident as he examines each component of the sushi platter during our conversation, more concerned with ensuring the quality of his restaurant’s offerings than enjoying the food itself.
After leaving the chifa, Chipoco found himself working at the Coral Gables Diner in 1995, an experience that makes his CVI.CHE 105 location in the Gables particularly poignant. “I used to dream of owning a place here, to impact the city and do things differently…. For me, this restaurant is special,” he says, gesturing around us. Twenty-nine years later, he’s realized that dream. While Chipoco insists that attention to detail is crucial across all his locations, he emphasizes that the Gables CVI.CHE 105 stands out. “The Coral Gables demographic is very sensitive,” he trails off, searching for the right word before signaling our waiter to refill my half-full water glass.
The Great Peruvian Tamale Tasting
Chipoco Helps Set a Guinness World Record in Miami
Does Juan Chipoco do anything in a small way? In a historic celebration marking the bicentennial of diplomatic and trade relations between the United States and Peru, the international community gathered at Maurice A. Ferré Park in Miami in March to witness “the world’s largest tamale tasting event using Peruvian white corn.” The chef: Chipoco.
The event was not only a tribute to Peru’s gastronomic culture, but also set a new Guinness World Record by bringing 398 people together to savor the tamales. A total of 1194 tamales were served to the participants, each weighing 50 grams, in three tasty filling variations: chicken, pork, and cheese.
This unique milestone was organized by San Ignacio University, San Ignacio de Loyola University, the Peruvian Navy, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry, Promperu, Caja Cusco, the Provincial Municipality of Cusco, the District Municipality of Huayllabamba – and CVI.CHE 105.
Chipoco’s restaurants began preparing more than a thousand iterations of the emblematic tamale the midnight before. Addressing the audience, Chipoco stated that “Peruvians are enterprising and when we set ourselves a goal, we achieve it.” Natalia Ramirez, Guinness World Records judge, certified the record.
“They appreciate when everything is just right and perfect. [For that reason] we have great customer service. Everybody working here has to be on point.” As he speaks, I’m reminded of the “showtime” sign above the kitchen entrance. For Chipoco, the restaurant is also a kind of theater.
After two years at the Coral Gables Diner, Chipoco worked as an assistant manager at Sergio’s, another lesson in running restaurants. After he felt he knew how to both manage a restaurant and run a kitchen, he moved on to positions at Macaroni Grill and then Mariposa at Merrick Park, aiming to make quick cash to fund his ultimate dream of owning his own place. “One of the managers at Mariposa asked me what my goal was, and I told her I wanted to open my own restaurant. She asked if I was sure I wanted the headaches. I said, ‘I do.’”
THE THIRD COURSE
The next plate that arrives at the table, the duo perfecto, features a fried snapper curled protectively around a pile of crispy bites like a dragon guarding its treasure, while in front sit slices of raw fish soaked in leche de tigre. “It’s the same fish. We take half and fry it and leave the other half raw,” Chipoco explains as he inhales deeply. The smell of the fried snapper overpowers the more delicate notes of its raw counterpart. However, after taking a bite, the ceviche holds its own, providing a refreshing counterbalance with its acidity cutting through the richness of the fried fish. Chipoco spoons some ceviche onto his plate and begins to tell the story of CVI.CHE 105.
While working at Mariposa, he reconnected with a former coworker, Luis Hoyos. In 2006, the pair (they later got married in 2014) started what would become the predecessor to the CVI.CHE 105 empire: La Cibeles. Chipoco envisioned the downtown restaurant as a Cuban spot to serve classics to the area’s working lunch crowd. He wanted to feature all the exemplar Cuban dishes – vaca frita, arroz con pollo, pan con bistec – but found himself drawn more to his own cuisine. During the La Cibeles era, both Hoyos and Chipoco often worked 16 to 18 hour days, doing everything necessary to keep the small restaurant afloat. After struggling to keep the lights on for two years, only serving about 200 people a week, Chipoco decided it was time to take the restaurant in a new direction, one that paid homage to his roots. While La Cibeles was being remodeled, he attended culinary school in Lima, learning how to perfect the recipes that would become the staples of CVI.CHE 105 menu.
In 2008, during a time when the nation was grappling with a financial crisis, Chipoco opened the first CVI.CHE 105 in Downtown Miami. The economy was stacked against him, but Chipoco saw an opportunity to offer good food that was accessible and affordable to everyone, from office workers to senior executives, all presented in a luxurious form. Soon, there was a line around the block, and celebrities began popping in. The restaurant quickly expanded from 20 to 200 seats – but success didn’t come without challenges.
“For the first two years of CVI.CHE 105, I didn’t take a single day off,” Chipoco recalls. “In the beginning, I remember having to stay at the restaurant and sleep on the couch because the drive to [my home in] Kendall took 45 minutes every day. So, I just stayed. In the morning, I’d wake up, wash my face, and keep working. Some people thought I was insane.” He adds, “But I saw it like, this was my only chance. Life put me in that moment to take it or not, and I had to take it.”
At this stage of his journey, Chipoco’s persona – and cuisine – began to gain recognition. Four years after opening the first CVI.CHE 105, he launched Pollo & Jarras, a Peruvian BBQ concept, just down the street. In 2014, he expanded CVI.CHE 105 to South Beach, followed by a location in Aventura in 2017. Continuing to grow his burgeoning food empire, Chipoco opened INTIMO, an upscale dining concept in South Beach, in 2019. The following year, he launched CVI.CHE 105 at Dadeland Mall, and in 2021, Pollo & Jarras expanded to Aventura. Most recently, in 2023, he opened CVI.CHE 105 flagship location in Coral Gables.
THE FOURTH COURSE
Chipoco softens his gaze as he recounts the days of “finally making it with CVI.CHE 105,” but as our last dish comes out, his eyes light up. As soon as the waiter leaves our table, Chipoco leans in and tells me the significance of the dish like it’s a secret. The Pastel de Choclo de la Abuela comes from Chipoco’s grandmother’s kitchen. “This, for me, is comfort,” he says, taking a hearty portion from the plate. The sweet corn cake baked over ground beef, a kind of picadillo dish, is just what you’d expect to come from abuela’s kitchen.
The contrast with his more ostentatious dishes is notable in this last course Chipoco and I share. Despite his designer clothes and the shirtless photos of bravado plastered around the restaurant, he reflects the humble ideals of the American Dream, those of hard work and diligence. After hearing Chipoco’s story, it becomes evident that his attention to detail influences both his work and his family life. He is as meticulous about his kids’ meals – often using fresh eggs for breakfast from the hens he keeps in the backyard as he is with the quality of food at his restaurant. His eyes well with tears when he talks about his two children, and he highlights the support of his partner, Hoyos. Currently, Chipoco and Hoyos live in Coral Gables with their children and a variety of animals, making sure to personally take the kids to school every day despite whatever is going on in the CVI.CHE 105 universe.
“I Used To Dream Of Owning A Place Here, To Impact The City And Do Things Differently…. For Me, This Restaurant Is Special…”
Thinking ahead, Chipoco shares that he’s busy planning new restaurant openings, aiming to grow without losing the core values that make CVI.CHE 105 a special experience. His next locations will be in Boca Raton, tentatively set for mid-December, and Sawgrass, planned for Q2 of 2025. He says he has aspirations for expansion into places like Vegas (which seems on-brand), New York, and LA. Chipoco also envisions expanding his hospitality ventures even further, with the possibility of someday opening a hotel. As I leave and wave goodbye to Chipoco (he’s already on the phone, onto the next meeting) I glance at the oversized photos of him and the restaurant’s many taxidermized peacocks, their glassy eyes seemingly fixed on me, and can’t help but wonder, “Who the hell is this guy?”
Photos by Rodolfo Benitez.