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What would you do if you had to start from scratch in another country… with children, without speaking the language, and with a dream you simply cannot ignore? Some people try. Others give up. Rosa María decided to go further.
Before bringing the taste of Peru to the Netherlands, she was a little girl cooking for her siblings while her mother worked. Later, she became a teenager who turned 100 dollars into her first business. Then she became a migrant, an entrepreneur, and a mother… but also a woman who, in one of the most difficult moments of her life, found in a dream the strength to start over.
Today, through Inti Catering, she doesn’t just serve Peruvian food. In every dish there is history, identity, and emotion. Because behind what reaches the table, there’s something that doesn’t appear on the menu: sacrifice, resilience, and a deep connection to her roots.
This is not just the story of a Peruvian entrepreneur in Europe. It is the story of how effort, when mixed with passion, can cross continents and touch lives. And perhaps, as you read, you’ll discover more than just a story. Perhaps you’ll discover a little of your own.
From La Victoria to Los Olivos: a childhood shaped by perseverance and an entrepreneur from childhood
Rosa María was born in Lima, in the La Victoria district, but grew up in Los Olivos, where she began to form herself as a person. She remembers that time fondly, not because it was easy, but because of everything it taught her. It was a simple environment, but full of values, where effort and perseverance were not an option, but part of daily life.
In her family, everyone had a role. Her father, with a firm character, instilled discipline and responsibility from a very young age. Her mother, on the other hand, taught her through love: to share, to care, and without knowing it, to cook. Together, they planted a foundation that would become her greatest strength.
But Rosa María didn’t wait until adulthood to become an entrepreneur. From childhood, she already showed initiative: she created and sold handmade decorations, helped her mother at the market, and learned how to deal with people. All of that was part of her daily life, a childhood where playing and working coexisted naturally.
Years later, an unexpected situation would mark a before and after. She found a 100-dollar bill. For many, it would have been a momentary stroke of luck. For her, it was an opportunity. She decided to invest it in a small shoe business, inspired by the school campaigns of the time. What started small grew quickly: she managed to open two stores in Los Olivos and build her own team. But beyond the economic growth, what she truly built was a mindset. She understood that with effort, creativity, and determination, you can always move forward.
The Peruvian kitchen: where her passion was born
If entrepreneurship was part of her character, cooking was part of her essence. It all started at home, when she was barely eight years old. While her mother worked, Rosa María took care of her siblings and took on a responsibility that, over time, would become a passion: cooking for them. Her first challenge was something as simple as preparing white rice, a staple of the Peruvian table. But for her, it wasn’t just a task; it was a way to help, to contribute, to care.
Over time, that rice was no longer enough. She wanted to do more, improve, surprise. She began experimenting with stews, asking questions at markets, learning from other women, especially the older ones, who generously shared their secrets. Each recipe was a discovery, each dish a small victory.
Cooking became her language. A way to express affection without words. Seeing her family enjoy what she prepared was, for her, one of the greatest satisfactions.
There are flavors that still transport her directly to her childhood. Ceviche, fresh and vibrant, that brought everyone together on hot days. Causa limeña, which they prepared like a work of art, so beautiful it was almost a shame to cut it. And ají de gallina, that classic that was never missing and was always accompanied by bread, creating simple but deeply happy moments. Behind each of those dishes are memories, emotions, and a story that still lives in her kitchen.
The human side of a Peruvian entrepreneur in the Netherlands
If there’s one thing that defines Rosa María beyond her effort and talent in the kitchen, it’s her almost instinctive need to help. Her heart simply cannot tolerate injustice. When she sees someone in trouble, she jumps in to help. Just like that. She shares two anecdotes among many.
One moment she still remembers with special emotion was when two little brothers came to her store in Lima. They were alone, dirty, with worn-out clothes and hunger in their eyes. They said their mother had left them alone and they were hungry. Rosa María didn’t hesitate. Instead of giving them money, she took them to eat, cleaned them up completely, dressed them in clean clothes, and gave them new shoes and clothes. Her father witnessed this scene more than once. Another anecdote Rosa María shares was when, visiting Lima, she came across a completely unknown woman, helpless and with two children. Without hesitation, she took her to her father’s house, gave them food, and gave clothes from her own daughter to that woman so she could dress the girls. Her father didn’t understand and scolded her. Rosa María remembers that during the scolding she silently bowed her head out of respect, but inside she was laughing, like when we know as children we’ve done something mischievous and despite the punishment, we smile inside because we’d do it again.
She tells it with a laugh. For her, it’s no longer a tense moment, but an anecdote that defines her. “My father was very angry, but I couldn’t do otherwise,” she says. Her instinct was stronger, and that same instinct has brought her where she is today. Those who know her know that Rosa María is the kind of person who makes those around her feel at ease, because helping is not a heroic gesture for her. It is simply who she is, and today she puts that into every dish she cooks.
Santander: the first leap across the ocean
At 23 years old, Rosa María made a decision that would change the course of her life: traveling to Spain. Not out of necessity, but out of curiosity, out of that desire to discover what lay beyond the familiar. She arrived in Santander and from the very first moment everything was new: the culture, the way of life, the bars on every corner, the tapas, the social life around food. She started as a bartender, but her interest in cooking led her to get more involved. She helped, observed, learned. Her curiosity did the rest.
What started as a temporary experience turned into a professional path. Spain not only taught her about gastronomy, but showed her that she could reinvent herself and seize opportunities she had never imagined.
Amsterdam: starting from scratch and building a new home
After years of hard work in Spain, where she even had her own hospitality businesses, the economic crisis marked a breaking point. Running a business became increasingly difficult, and once again, Rosa María had to make an important decision. That’s when the opportunity to move to the Netherlands arose.
The change was not easy. The language, the culture, the adjustment. And above all, finding a home where she could bring her children. For a time, she lived sharing spaces, focused on working. But her goal was bigger. With patience and determination, she managed to establish herself and reunite her family.
In Amsterdam, she worked as a cook at a Peruvian restaurant, where she not only perfected her technique but also took on important responsibilities, such as leading teams and training new workers. It was a demanding period, but crucial for her professional growth.
Despite the difficulties, she never lost sight of what she truly wanted: to become an entrepreneur again.
Inti Catering: the dream born in the darkness
There are moments in life that change everything. Not because you planned it… but because you have no other choice.
In 2019, Rosa María found herself in a complex stage. She had moved to a new city, was focused on learning Dutch, and as a single mother, she carried not only her own dreams on her shoulders but also the future of her children.
She worked at various jobs, even outside the kitchen, but deep down she knew something was missing. She was not happy away from her true passion. And it was in one of those difficult moments, when everything seemed uncertain, that something unexpected happened. A dream.
She saw herself in a dark place, as if inside a well. She felt the need to get out, to find a way out. And at that moment, a word appeared: Inti – The sun god of the Incas – The light – The energy – The hope.
That dream was not just an image. It was an answer. It was the push she needed to believe in herself again and take the step she had been postponing: to start a business again, but this time from her essence.
Thus Inti Catering was born. Not just as a business, but as a symbol of rebirth.
The taste of Peru in the Netherlands: more than food, a cultural experience
From the beginning, Rosa María was clear about one thing: she didn’t want to offer just food. She wanted to offer an experience.
In a country where many still associate Peru only with Machu Picchu, her proposal goes far beyond. Through each dish, she invites you to discover a rich, diverse, and deeply emotional culture.
Her cooking is authentic, made with respect for tradition and with that personal touch that only comes from experience and love for what she does. And the Dutch audience has responded.
Dishes like ceviche, lomo saltado, causa limeña, ají de gallina, and empanadas have become favorites. Intense, fresh, different flavors… that surprise and linger. But what truly makes the difference is not just the flavor. It’s the intention.
Each event, each catering order, each dish served has a purpose: to connect. To make people not only taste something new but feel something different. Because when food has a story, it becomes something much more powerful.
Mother and entrepreneur: the force behind her story
Behind everything she has built, there is an engine that never fails: her children.
Being a mother and an entrepreneur at the same time has not been easy. It has meant sleepless nights, birthdays celebrated in a hurry, and decisions that no mother should have to make alone. But it has also been her greatest source of strength.
For years, she acted as both mother and father. Her children’s adolescence, adapting to a new country, the language, the bureaucracy, building a home from scratch. Everything was new and everything weighed heavily. And yet, she never stopped.
Today, her story is much more than a personal achievement. It is a testimony of what it means to move forward when everything pushes you back. To build something of your own without losing yourself in the process. Because in the end, every dish she cooks, every event she organizes, every client who tastes her food has the same purpose: to create a better future for those she loves.
Inti Catering: the taste of Peru conquering the Netherlands
Rosa María’s story is one of those that stays with you. Because it’s not just about success, but about everything that lies behind it: effort, setbacks, difficult decisions… and the courage to start again.
Today, that journey translates through Inti Catering into something that can be shared: an authentic, warm culinary experience full of identity.
If you are in the Netherlands and want to discover the true taste of Peru, this is an opportunity to do so in a different way. Whether for a private event, a special gathering, or a cultural experience, each dish carries a story that deserves to be told. And you can be part of it.
If you want to learn more about Rosa María and Inti Catering, follow her on social media or visit her website.
Let us know in the comments if you know Rosa María, and if you liked her story, share this article with someone who enjoys discovering new cultures. Follow peruanos.nl for more real, inspiring stories and become part of a community that connects Peru with the Netherlands.
