For the world’s eight billion people, the meals we share with loved ones represent more than the ingredients on the table. Meals are symbols of our cultures, our shared roots, and the memories created over generations of cooking together and learning from one another. Roy Riquelme, a chef and conservationist in the Amazon, understands that sharing the meals of your culture is a way to express its vibrant heritage and protect its legacy. When growing up in the lush greenery of southeastern Peru’s Madre de Dios region, he witnessed firsthand the devastating effects deforestation can have on local life and life around the world.

Determined to make a difference, Roy founded Cooking and Preserving — a catering business that celebrates his homeland’s rich culinary heritage while helping to preserve the Amazon rainforest that provides the diverse fruits, vegetables, and ingredients used in these recipes. At the heart of Roy’s conservation endeavors is his cookbook, which features ancient recipes and cooking techniques as documented during his travels to indigenous communities in the Amazon. “This cookbook is inspired by my trips to the communities within the project,” says Roy. “So that they can have a record of everything that we are creating.”