Juan Chipoco: show time
Peruvian Juan Chipoco, of Miami’s iconic CV.CHE 105 restaurant, went from being an undocumented immigrant with just a few dollars in his pocket to reigning over Miami’s culinary scene like the King Midas of Peruvian cuisine. As a businessman, he has caught the attention of major corporations.
By Josefina Barrón
Photos: Rolo del Campo, Panol Vega, Christian Lozan y Marcel Boldu
A Broadway-like marquee lights up the first block of one of downtown Miami’s busiest streets. The area was once dark and dangerous at night, but began to shine thanks to the audacity and drive of a Peruvian who, over three decades ago, arrived in the United States with only a few dollars in his pocket and an enormous will to evolve. Up on the shining marquee glows the name of the restaurant: CVI.CHE 105, and below, like a seal of quality: “by Juan Chipoco.”
No one can describe what it means to be the owner of the iconic CVI.CHE 105 better than Chipoco. He compares his waiters and cooks to Broadway actors who star in successful productions that transmit unforgettable sensations. The show begins every day when the doors open and ends when the last diner leaves. “Everyone here plays a part. We all have an assigned role that must be played with the utmost commitment. We give ourselves up to the day with passion, because once the show begins there is no turning back.”
Time moves in a single direction and each detail must be carefully curated, from the attitude and carriage of the hosts down to the freshness of the delicate sauce that enlivens several of the most iconic dishes in Peruvian cuisine. Juan has redesigned these traditional recipes according to the dictates of his intuitive palate. This may be the reason that the lines of people hoping to eat in his restaurants often really are endless.
Many people follow him. Juan Chipoco has become a motivational coach. This may be one of the keys to his success: knowing how to motivate his staff. In his promotional videos, Juan is happy to share the secrets that made him one of Miami’s star servers in the late 1990s. He always seems to be connected with his clientele and he has been so well received that he’s become an icon. CVI.CHE 105, Pollos & Jarras, and his fine dining INTI.MO always ride high on TripAdvisor and DoorDash lists. CVI.CHE 105, especially, has grown amazingly. Every time we meet he pulls a new trick from his bag to show me. While I take one step, Juan takes ten.
But how has he done it? How did he go from having ten dollars in his pocket, being an undocumented immigrant all alone in a strange country, to being the King Midas of Peruvian cuisine, a businessman with many major corporate eyes upon him? These questions led me to begin writing a biography of the man, a project that led me to observe him very closely in order to analyze his path, his philosophy of life, and his desires, frustrations, and difficult moments. One thing that is glaringly obvious is that luck had little to do with this story. Possibilities arise and you have to know how to recognize them, catch them in the air, and arm yourself with a strong will, discipline, and perseverance, because there is no easy path, only hard work and sacrifice. And something I’ll call “a good star.” Juan’s friend, builder José García, says: “He’s like Michael Jordan or Lebron James in the NBA. There are 750 players in the league, but only seven or eight of them are exceptional, and Juan, in his world, is one of them.”
The business venture that began in 2008, in the midst of one of the most dramatic economic crises to ever hit the United States, with only eight tables and enormous debt, grew into an increasingly powerful corporation. Juan’s life is the stuff of Hollywood films. He began working very young; while his friends spent their vacations lazing around on the beach, he sell ice cream along the coast of Lima.
After arriving in the United States, he mopped floors in a supermarket and cleaned bathrooms. And he was the best at it! He chopped vegetables in a Chinese restaurant and washed pots so greasy that they had to be scrubbed several times. He left everything shining. The owner, a Chinese man, noticed his drive and was impressed, although because he spoke neither English nor Spanish he could only show his approval through signs. Juan used to tell himself: “Go ahead! Squeeze me, make me do the work of three, I don’t mind, because you’re showing me that I can be better than anyone, more efficient in less time.”
Of course, not everyone who works as hard as Juan has come as far as he has. Juan’s big opportunity came in the form of Peruvian cuisine. What might have happened in his career if he hadn’t thought of opening CVI.CHE 105? Maybe it has less to do with the food business than his attitude when faced with opportunity (or difficulty, for that matter). I’m of the opinion that Juan would have shined just as brilliantly if he’d chosen a career as a fashion designer, a life coach, a jeweler, a real estate agent, or —why not?— a leader in any field.
“I hit bottom a number of times. I never let it keep me from getting out of bed in the morning, never let it make me feel hopeless. I never let it make me say, ‘I’m afraid, I can’t do this’.” It was just after he’d opened his Cuban place, La Cibeles, at the small downtown location where CVI.CHE 105 now operates. Although the first two years weren’t very successful, he never for a minute stopped giving his 105%. He woke up every day at four o’clock to meet Luis Hoyos at the supermarket. They’d work 16-hour a day themselves when they couldn’t afford to pay staff. They cooked, waited tables, attended the cash register, cleaned up, and never stopped smiling. Luis has always been with him, since they were both waiters working in different restaurants. Today, Luis is his partner and husband, and they’ve formed a family.
One afternoon, following a marathon workday at La Cibeles, Juan walked across the street to take a look at his restaurant and the surroundings from the front. It was five o’clock. Downtown was a ghost town. Juan imagined pretty white plates with colorful food, very well presented, and a long line of people waiting to get in. He had had an epiphany. One day, on his way past Miami’s exclusive Icon building, He was impressed by its architecture and he told himself that one day he’d live there. And years later he did. One of the girls who worked in the building was a steady customer at La Cibeles. She was delighted with Juan and Luis’s cooking and had the wonderful idea of asking them to bid on the catering for a party for 2,000 people hosted at the Icon. They rose to the challenge. And from that day on they never stopped growing. With the appearance of the first dish on the La Cibeles menu, Juan realized that he had found his path. His work ethic and Peruvian cuisine came together and fed one another.
Today, he seems to have lost all fear of failure. “Success means living with conflict,” he tells me. “I love getting into trouble. Feeling under pressure, pushed out of my comfort zone, and taking risks, the next step, evolving.”
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