Emil Oliva
Leche de Tigre Cebicheria Peruana | San Antonio, TX
NOVEMBER 2023
When Emil Oliva was 12, he and his family moved from Texas back to his dad’s home country of Peru. He first learned to love eating Peruvian food, then cooking it with his mom and his babysitter. When he was ready to enter the workforce, Oliva picked up work in the hospitality industry, spending time working in wine sales and front of house positions, and staging at restaurants in Lima. In 2012, he moved to San Antonio, and eventually started working front of house at Costa Pacifica, a concept focused on the cuisine of Mexico’s West Coast. Being half-Mexican himself, Oliva connected with the food and saw similarities between Mexican and Peruvian treatments of seafood. He found his way into a management role, learning how to build out a concept and a brand.
Though he had never worked as a cook, Oliva began to do pop-ups and dinner parties under the name Noche en Lima, preparing the food of his youth for 15 guests. In early 2023, Oliva partnered with his cousins and his brothers, Axel (who runs the front of house) and Alec (who manages the bar), to open Leche de Tigre Cebicheria Peruana in San Antonio. Together, the family celebrates their heritage and time spent in Peru, serving modern takes on classic ceviches alongside a solid pisco program for what Oliva hopes can be “like a little Peruvian embassy” in San Antonio.
