In 2016 Victoria Vannucci He felt like he had hit rock bottom. Everyone was talking about the photos of her with her ex-husband Matias Garfunkel posing next to dead animals, after a safari that ended in a hunt. When he realized his mistake it was already too late and his name was in the eye of the media hurricane. She was experiencing cancellation, after being the cover of magazines, a marquee head, a electrostar and enjoy every scandal. But she had never hit rock bottom.
At that moment a process to heal began. He took refuge in his loved ones – mainly his children, Napoleon and Indiana– and on these pillars he built his new life. Her first step was to get away from the media noise, and along that path she converted to Judaism and became a vegetarian. She sees religion and nature as concepts to get ahead, and cooking as the instrument to make it a reality. She founded and ran the restaurant Pachamama and he saw that it was possible to live differently. And today she condenses these years, and the previous ones that marked her with fire, in her first book. Which is about cooking recipes, yes. But also, it is a survival manual.
The businesswoman published My path to Pachamamaa culinary adventure with recipes inspired by the flavors of Argentina, Peru and Japan and with the spirit of home cooking. With its versions in Spanish and English, the text replicates these years of experience in sustainable gastronomy.
At the beginning of the book, before delving into her gastronomic catalogue, Victoria reflects on her life. There are her career as a top tennis player frustrated by an injury, the years of media brilliance and exuberance, the photos of the animal carcasses that led to the cancellation and the return trip. As told in the following paragraphs:
“Today, more than a decade later, writing these words is an act full of emotion and regret. I have matured and grown as a person. I recognize my mistakes and the lack of courage I showed on that trip. “I faced my own contradiction, the internal struggle I was experiencing between my values and my actions.”
This story, written from the heart, reflects my evolution as a human being. It is a testimony of learning and redemption, a reminder that we all make mistakes, but the essential thing is to learn from them and grow. My gastronomic and personal journey has been a roller coaster of experiences, but it has taken me to a place of deep reflection and understanding of the importance of respecting living beings and our environment.
What has been said, the work is the result of a path that took many years, perhaps the 41 that he has lived. And the edition at this time is no coincidence. Finally divorced from Garfunkel and proud that her children Napoleon and Indiana also carry her last name. But above all, a tribute to the woman who marked her the most and who accompanied her until the end. “The book was written a year and a half ago as the closing of my cycle as CEO of Pachamama restaurant. But I launched it now because it was my mother’s wish,” said the former model. The reference is for Maria Ines Godoywho died a few days ago after battling breast cancer and with whom Victoria managed to heal a damaged bond in those years of media madness.
With a menu based on vegan and non-vegan dishes, and the premise of bringing the flavors of the land to the table, Victoria opened Pachamama in San Diego, where it made headlines for containing the first bee hive research, a space for the care and rescue of bees for the sustainable use of honey. Already in Venice Beach, she received the award for best new restaurant in the city of Los Angeles, a prestigious award that some of the best chefs in the world have received.
It didn’t take long for West Coast television to take notice and her concept and recipes reached television to participate in the program. Hello Hunnay with Jeannie Mai. The renowned local host, with a past on the morning show The Real and his mother olivia They received Victoria under the alias of Chef Vickwho prepared two dishes, a sautéed loin with vegetables inspired by the fusion of Peruvian and Japanese cuisines and a tribute to his native country in the form of spinach fritters.
In the middle, he projected a sustainable objective that marked each of his steps. For this reason, in the book she thanks Travis Wolf of BeeLeafUsa, who accompanied her in the cause, promoting the construction of organic gardens in San Diego and Los Angeles.
“The partnership we have formed has multiplied our impact and has allowed us to go even further in our mission to care for our mother earth and its inhabitants. Each of these gardens is an oasis of life, where children learn about the importance of healthy eating and respect for nature.. Seeing how those little sprouts of environmental awareness grow and flourish is an indescribable joy,” he wrote on his way to Pachamama. A part of his life that became a book and that can be purchased on his social networks – whoispachamama and chefvickvannucci on Instagram and Facebook – and on his official website, chefvickvannucci.com.
