Tuna ceviche will be added to other interesting and unconventional versions of kippers on the ceviche bar.

Ciuffardi is grinding potatoes, a staple of many Peruvian dishes. He will add salt, lime and yellow pepper sauce native to Peru to the potatoes. Ciuffardi squeezed the mixture with his hands until everything was well mixed, then made it into a potato column. He placed three in a row on a rectangular orange plate. This version of causa is topped with shredded chicken salad, mixed with chili, a little mayonnaise and red onion. "We always use red onions."

He put a bunch of alfalfa sprouts on the chicken salad. Next, Ciuffardi is skillfully drizzled with Rocoto pepper sauce, then sprinkled with plenty of limes, and then sprinkled with their main Inca sauce on the edges. "This sauce has 30 ingredients, including turmeric, mustard, cumin, Peruvian black mint... The rest are secrets." Peruvian cooking uses a lot of yellow peppers, which can be spicy or mild depending on the picking time.

Ciuffardi is satisfied with his causa. You can also put shrimp or vegetable mixture on it, and then turn to the tuna ceviche for the final touch. A bite-sized piece of tuna is placed in the center of a large bowl. In the bowl are small pieces of avocado, shredded parsley, purple onions, thin cucumber slices and small pearl onions. "A unique ingredient is crispy dried Cusco Peruvian corn." When the plates were completely lined up with shredded seaweed on top, he slowly poured a bite of mango marinade over the ceviche.

Giuffardi is from Peru, where his family runs restaurants. He used to follow his mother to the grocery store, and he said that nothing is really complicated for him now because he likes cooking very much. "When I cook, it reminds me of my mother." He left Peru, where he studied with the famous Gaston Acurio. Giuffardi said that he was able to leave Peru because he knew everything was good there, and he wanted to expand his knowledge of Peruvian food in the United States.

Fito Gardia, the owner of Inca Social, sits on a high stool in front of a wall lined with mysterious patterns outlined in bright lights. "These represent unknown creatures seen from the sky in Nazca. Some look like animals, such as the monkey or the fish, but some are a mystery. Some legends say they were created by aliens."

Gardia explained that, generally speaking, Peruvian cooking is a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese, Italian, Spanish, and some African flavors. Inca Social’s menu reflects this tradition. Gardia stated that they will have an "extraordinary" ceviche bar. Gardia explained that ceviche is usually made with white fish, but for example, they would choose Peruvian and Japanese tuna marinated in ginger with a large amount of lime. Some others will still have citrus, but it may be mango or passion fruit.

They are considering making risotto with duck or quail and citrus sauce. Of course, the restaurant will provide staple food and arroz con pollo that everyone likes. Gardi said that he is hiring a pastry chef to produce Algodulce, including tres leches, flan, fritters and Inca suspiro, with port meringue and cinnamon.

Gardi said that when Giuffardi was on his way to another job, he met Giuffardi at a music festival, "We hit it off. I like his idea, he has a different mentality. He got his hands dirty, for the rest of the team. The members set an example so that everyone can work better.” Gardia added that they are like a family. They read the reviews and they are happy or improved. He said that some customers may not like a particular taste, so the key is to find out what they want.

Gardi said he likes Arlington. "The local government has done a great job helping small businesses. The flow of people is amazing and the Arlingtonians love food. They are adventurous. They say they want healthier, they want portion control, but they want fashion. They want Try ceviche."

Gardi explained that the restaurant can accommodate 187 people indoors and 91 people outdoors. "They like the happy hour here."

Ciuffardi formed a family and moved from Arlington to Centerville, where he opened several restaurants and worked in company management for several years. "But it was too slow," so he moved back and opened Inca Social in Vienna in 2019. This is a perfect space, "Although I always knew I wanted to return to Arlington." One year before the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, he opened the Vienna restaurant. "For a small business, it was really scary. We had to turn. We changed everything and started delivering. We delivered things ourselves." He said they feed the homeless and nurses.

Although Inca Social will open at 1776 Wilson Avenue on December 21st. With the ribbon-cutting event in the afternoon, the restaurant will continue to improve the food and experience from December 7th to 19th, Monday to Thursday from 4pm to 9pm, and Friday and Saturday from 4pm to 10pm, as well as trial operations.

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