Exploring Latin American cuisine in St. Louis, from rotisserie chicken to seafood soup

By Danny Wicentowski

Published September 3, 2024 at 2:53 PM CDT

A tabletop photo of curry, chicken, rice, friend plantains, beans, and cremas. — Delmar Loop's Brasas offerings include Aji Amarillo Chicken “Curry,” left, made with lemongrass, ginger, pecan, spices, coconut milk, olives, eggs, garlic rice and choclo — Peruvian corn — and Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, right, served with fried plantains, beans, steak fries and a selection of cremas.

Before he became a chef and restaurant owner in St. Louis, Andrew Cisneros spent his childhood traveling frequently to his parents’ homeland of Peru. It was there that he fell in love with Peruvian rotisserie chicken.

“I think when we hear rotisserie chicken here, we think of Costco, we think of Schnucks, and we think of this overcooked, bland chicken,” said Cisneros.

In Peru, however, rotisserie chicken is made to be anything but a tasteless meal of convenience. “You can almost find a rotisserie chicken shop pretty much on every corner,” he told St. Louis on the Air. “It's mainly a family-oriented type of space, a place that you can go any day of the week for a quick bite or a family reunion.”

Andrew Cisneros, 31, holds a skewer of rotisserie chickens on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, at Brasas on the Delmar Loop. — Andrew Cisneros, 31, holds a skewer of rotisserie chickens at Brasas.

An Aji Amarillo Chicken “Curry” made with lemongrass, ginger, pecan, spices, coconut milk, olives, eggs, garlic rice and choclo, on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, at Brasas on the Delmar Loop. — An Aji Amarillo Chicken “Curry” is made with lemongrass, ginger, pecan, spices, coconut milk, olives, eggs, garlic rice and choclo — a variety of Peruvian corn.

Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken is served with fried plantains, beans, steak fries, a selection of creams and a Blackberry Bourbon Mule on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, at Brasas on the Delmar Loop. — Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken is served with fried plantains, beans, steak fries, a selection of creams and a Blackberry Bourbon Mule.

Cisneros sought to replicate the classic Peruvian rotisserie chicken experience in St. Louis with his latest restaurant, Brasas, which opened in July.

The restaurant was featured in last month’s edition of Sauce Magazine. On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, managing editor Iain Shaw shared his experience of trying Peruvian rotisserie chicken, including the impact of up to 16 hours of marinating.

Also on Friday’s show, Sauce Magazine writer Ileana Martinez discussed her ongoing culinary journey through Central American cuisine in St. Louis, highlighting dishes inspired by Honduras and Nicaragua.

Featured in this conversation:

Brasas (6138 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63112)
Merendero Las Catrachitas (5639 S. Kingshighway, St. Louis, MO 63109)
Sbor K-Trancho (2286 McKelvey Road, Maryland Heights, MO 63043)
Fritanga Nicaraguan Cuisine (2208 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, MO 63104)

To learn more about Peruvian rotisserie chicken, and to hear Ileana Martinez take us on a tour of Central American dishes, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast or by clicking the play button below.

Iain Shaw and Ileana Martinez on 'St. Louis on the Air'

“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.