Darwin's on 4th to be featured in Emeril Lagasse's Cooking Channel show

The world-famous celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse is coming back to Sarasota to "kick it up a notch" at another one of Sarasota's most beloved restaurants: Darwin's on 4th. 

The Peruvian gastro brewpub serves up dishes packed with the authentic flavor created from the original taste of head chef and owner Darwin Santa Maria. The modest restaurant and micro-brew opened in January 2012 and has skyrocketed to the top echelon in Sarasota's culinary community. Along with the restaurant located in Sarasota's Citrus District, Santa Maria's South American operation has expanded to a satellite bar and brewery in Bradenton.

Santa Maria and his staff have rapidly earned several high honors since opening including "Best New Restaurant Golden Spoon Award" from "Florida Trend Magazine," the 2012 "Best Peruvian Chef in America" by the Peruvian Embassy in Washington, D.C., one of the "Best Chefs America" in 2013, an "Award of Excellence" from Tumi in 2014, and he has hosted the prestigious James Beard Celebrity Chef Tour dinner for three years in a row.

Celebrity tours aside, the original celebrity chef himself, Lagasse, will be filming a segment scheduled for May 11 for his Cooking Channel program "Emeril's Florida." Lagasse was in town earlier in the year highlighting the food and drink of another Sarasota institution, Michael's On East. While Lagasse and his show's producers were scouting out potential restaurants and talent for the show, they stumbled upon Darwin's on 4th and knew they found the right fit within Santa Maria's culinary vision. However, not only will Lagasse talk with Santa Maria about his unique blend of Peru and American tastes in his food and beer, but they'll discuss Santa Maria's inspiring immigrant success story.

"It is a great honor to be on the show," says Santa Maria. "I'm really excited because for the first time this episode isn't only going to be about cooking but about my roots and my upbringing. We'll be talking about how I came to this country as an immigrant and what inspires me to create new flavors for my food and craft beer."

Santa Maria says that he was a huge fan of Lagasse when he was starting out as a chef. The Peruvian-flavor powerhouse says he was hooked on Lagasse's show even before the chef became a national household name. "When I was starting out and watching his show, I always envisioned that I'd be with him someday," says Santa Maria. 

Along with this great professional honor, Santa Maria says that progress has been made in expanding the restaurants brewing capabilities. According to Santa Maria, the brewery has secured their own canning machine so they can provide beer by-the-can as well as on tap and in bottles. The first wave of canned beer flavors include some of Darwin's most popular offerings including: the "Pirata Pilsner," "Circa 1926 Tangerine Wheat Ale" and "Sumadayze IPA." Santa Maria also says that they're purchasing more fermenters so as to produce more beer and that their product will now reach nearly every corner of Florida. The Darwin's signature Andean beer has now extended to Tallahassee and the rest of the panhandle. Now Darwin Brewing Company's line of beer can be enjoyed upstate as well as in Sarasota, Bradenton, Manatee, Tampa, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando. 

Santa Maria has come a long way, both physically and professionally, from Tarapoto, Peru. His food and custom beer has now reached every corner of the Sunshine State. And now, with the help of Lagasse's show and reach, the Sarasota chef extraordinaire will reach the rest of the country.