By Marie-Antoinette Issa
By mid-morning, Uma Restaurant at the Pan Pacific hotel in Perth is wide awake. The dining room is still quiet, but in the kitchen, citrus is being zested, herbs sorted, fish inspected, and sauces adjusted by instinct rather than recipe. Chef Javiera Gomez moves through it all with calm focus, tasting, listening, watching. There is precision here, but also warmth - a sense that the food being prepared carries memory as much as technique.
Born in Chile, shaped by time across the southeastern Pacific and in Europe, and now firmly grounded in Western Australia, Javiera cooks from a place of movement and belonging. Her food speaks in layers: of family kitchens and long travel days, of ocean air and charcoal smoke, of nostalgia refined through discipline. At Uma, her plates become a language of connection, where South America’s emotional generosity meets WA’s pristine produce in a conversation that feels both intimate and expansive."I grew up in Chile, where food was always about love, family and storytelling – my comfort dish is my abuela’s pastel de choclo, that warm, sweet-savoury corn pie that still tastes like home to me,” she says. It’s a memory she returns to often, one that informs both her cooking and her philosophy. At Uma, nostalgia becomes narrative, woven gently through modern technique and Western Australian produce.
"As a young cook, I spent time in Rapa Nui [Easter Island] and Spain [at the two Michelin-starred Disfrutar] learning sea-to-plate traditions and how a place’s history and landscape can live on a plate – that experience taught me to respect provenance and let produce lead the story,” she explains.
That reverence for origin now underpins Uma’s new seasonal menu, launched following Pan Pacific Perth’s recent refurbishment. The restaurant’s new culinary direction, Cocina de Autor, expands beyond its original Peruvian origins to celebrate the broader flavours, stories and landscapes of South America, grounded firmly in Western Australian geography.
"Those roots gave me a ‘produce-first’ compass and a belief that food carries culture,” she says. "At Uma I channel that spirit by blending traditional South American flavours with modern technique and local WA ingredients, keeping the feeling of home while evolving the form.”
Each menu unfolds around a carefully constructed narrative. "I build each seasonal menu around a cultural ‘arc’ – Peru and Chile are my anchor points, then I weave in ideas researched from Bolivia, Ecuador and Brazil so the journey feels coherent, not crowded,” she says. "We align dishes with the Perth dining calendar and South American festivals, so the storytelling meets the moment and the best Western Australian produce available.” Local ingredients shape everything. "My rule: authentic techniques, local terroir. I apply cevichería methods, woodfire and marinades to WA seafood and meat – letting acidity, heat and texture balance shine,” she explains. Shark Bay snapper and O’Connor beef now form the backbone of many dishes. "Their quality and consistency surprised me when I first arrived and they’ve become menu mainstays.”
Her Ceviche Peruano encapsulates that fusion. "Our Ceviche Peruano with Shark Bay snapper is the perfect example – classic Peruvian leche de tigre, local pristine fish, and a presentation that respects both Pacific tradition and WA produce. It’s bright, mineral, and alive – everything I love about this cuisine in one bowl.” Yet, for Javiera, food is only one part of the story. Beyond the plate, South American culture pulses through the entire dining experience. "The colours, textures and rhythm of South America absolutely inform how we plate and how we host,” she says. "At Uma, we pair storytelling service with dishes, cocktails like the Pisco Sour, and a room design that echoes earthy Peruvian tones – so guests feel the culture, not just taste it.”
That sense of atmosphere extends behind the scenes too, into a kitchen culture shaped by empathy, discipline and care. In 2024, Javiera was recognised as an Emerging Female Leader in the Australian Hotels Association awards, honouring her commitment to excellence and inclusive leadership.
"For me, leadership is clarity, care and courage – setting a vision, protecting standards and creating space where every voice matters,” she says. "Recognition as an Emerging Female Leader affirmed that leading with empathy and discipline can lift a whole team and guest experience.”
Away from service and strategy, Javiera’s day begins simply. I usually start my day with a homemade smoothie using fresh fruit, or a simple bowl of cereal and muesli.” Lunch is light and practical. "Typically, something convenient and light, often a salad or a combination of items that have been prepped during the day at work. It keeps me energised without slowing me down.” Dinner, when she finally pauses, is instinctive and unfussy. "I like to create a balanced meal using whatever I have in the fridge. This usually includes a protein such as meat paired with vegetables.”
It’s a grounded rhythm for someone whose professional world revolves around constant movement and creativity. And if stripped back to its purest form, her ultimate "dessert island” meal remains beautifully simple. "Ceviche – bright, clean and endlessly expressive. Give me pristine WA fish, lime, chilli and herbs and I can feed you a story of the Pacific in every bite.”
If Javiera’s cooking is anchored by memory, it is propelled by generosity. Each dish at Uma offers a sense of welcome – an invitation into her story, her travels, her culture, her sense of home. It’s food that doesn’t ask to be decoded, only felt.
